Dark Kingdoms
by PK102
Summary: Someone has started stealing the energy of Tokyo citizens, awakening an ancient power that had remained dormant for millennia. Now Usagi and the other Guardians must fight against evil forces that may have more connections to them than they'd have thought. SM re-write but the girls have darker/different personalities and everyone has more power.
1. Usagi's Transformation

_Tsukino Usagi_

The beep of her alarm permeates through Usagi's dream and she wakes up with a groan, blinking at the sunlight filtering through her blinds. She gets up and changes into her uniform before making her way downstairs. Her mother is sitting at the table reading the newspaper. Her father isn't there, but that's not surprising. Miharu-san is in the kitchen, and Usagi greets their housekeeper with a small smile and a quiet, "Good morning."

"Here you are, darling," the elder woman says, handing her some breakfast. "Is your brother up yet?"

Usagi shrugs. "I don't know," she answers as she takes the tray to the table. It's a full breakfast, though she knows she won't eat most of it. The housekeeper shakes her head before leaving to go get her brother herself. Usagi sits and glances at her mother, but she doesn't say anything.

She takes a couple bites of toast, but eventually the silence of the house becomes too stifling and she stands. Her mother doesn't say a word as she leaves. Miharu-san will likely fuss later about her unfinished food, but Usagi couldn't care less. She heads off to school without a word of goodbye.

There's no rush to get to school, so she leisurely strolls down the sidewalk enjoying the music playing from her headphones. The heavy guitar and drums distract her, and she's only half-paying attention to her surroundings when she catches sight of some boys huddled around something in the adjacent parking lot. It makes her pause as she squints to try and see what they're messing with, and when she sees it's a cat she gets annoyed. "Hey!" she snaps, drawing their attention. "Leave it alone!"

She stalks forward and the boys immediately scatter, leaving her alone with the cat prone on the ground. It looks rather pathetic lying there so Usagi crouches down to gently pick it up, clicking her tongue in annoyance when she sees the bandages the boys have put on its forehead. Then the cat starts twitching in her hands, meowing and rubbing at its forehead in a sudden frenzy. "Alright alright, I'll take off the bandages just hold on a second," Usagi mutters to the cat. She sets it on her lap and gently pries the sticky bandages off its furry forehead, trying to pull as little hair as possible. Miraculously, the cat stays mostly still through it all, to Usagi's relief.

"Oh," she says once the bandages are completely removed and the cat is now blinking its large red eyes up at her. "It's a crescent-shaped bald spot," she remarks with a grin. As soon as the words are out of her mouth the cat leaps out of her lap, using her head as a springboard to jump onto the roof of the car nearby. Usagi stands, frowning in annoyance, to find the cat staring intently at her from eye-level on the roof. The cat starts to approach, but Usagi decides she's not in the mood to play with the cat anymore.

She turns away from the cat, giving it one last glance over her shoulder before heading back to the sidewalk to head to school. As she walks she digs out her earbuds and plugs them into her phone, not wanting to get sidetracked again. She makes it to class minutes before the bell rings, sitting quietly in her spot in the middle of the room while she waits. The other girls in her class are gathered around Osaka-san's desk as she gushes about something. They all sound annoying though, giggling like they are, so Usagi tries her best to ignore them. Once Sakurada-sensei arrives they all scramble back to their chairs, and then class starts. English is her least favorite subject, but her mother has threatened to take away her allowance if she fails any tests, and if Usagi wants to do anything outside of the house she needs the money.

The rest of her classes drag on until she's finally free. Her feet trail as she leaves the school. Sakurada-sensei had passed back their latest test, and though she had passed, it hadn't been the grade she'd expected. Sakurada must've given points back somewhere, ruining the score Usagi had been aiming for: a perfect 60. It was a game she liked to play with herself, to see if she could maintain the grades of a perfectly average student. Sure, she might've had the brains to be outstanding, but where was the fun in that? Everyone assumed that because she was blonde she was a ditz, and that was something Usagi only encouraged. Being smart put her in a spotlight that Usagi wasn't interested in, and besides, acting like a clutz and trying to maintain an average score in all her classes was much more fun.

As she walks through the shopping district downtown she happens to pass by Osaka-san's family business, a rather large jewelry store by the name Osa-P. They appear to be having a massive sale, if the signs all over the windows are any indication, so the place looks packed even through the opaque doors. Usagi briefly entertains the idea of trying to find something to buy, but then she remembers her grade. Glancing at the paper she still held, the bright red 66 circled at the top, she grimaces. It's not a failing grade, but her mother has high expectations of her - well, more like her father does and her mother just agrees with him - and she might think taking away her allowance will motivate Usagi to do better or something like that. She doesn't want to take the chance, so it'd be better to save what she has.

'Then again,' she thinks to herself, 'if Mom never sees the grade, she'll have no reason to suspect a thing. .'

Without a second thought she crumples the paper into a ball and tosses it over her shoulder, uncaring of the fact that she's littering. She won't have anything to do with that paper anymore, and, feeling marginally better, she decides to head to the arcade. Last she'd heard there's a new Sailor V game out, and she wants to see if they have it yet.

Only, before she even takes a single step, she hears an indignant, "Hey, you hit me," from behind her and freezes. "You trying to put bumps on my head too?" the person asks. She flinches and turns around, only to realize in horror that he's unwrapped the paper ball she made and is looking at her test grade. "Only 66 percent?" he asks, and the condescension in his tone immediately irks her.

"Mind your own business!" she snaps, glaring at the guy. 'It's a perfectly average - well, slightly above average - grade,' she thinks, a little offended. But when she meets his gaze she feels a spark of something that halts her momentarily. The abrupt disappearance of her anger seems to surprise the guy and he pauses as well. He looks almost as if he wants to speak, but neither of them says anything for several moments.

The air is broken when a car drives by honking its horn, startling both of them. Usagi jumps and hurries to pick up her dropped bag, quickly turning and heading away from the man. She grumbles under her breath about the weirdo guy she ran into as she walks to the arcade, but her mood quickly improves when she sees the new Sailor V posters on the shop's windows. She contemplates for a moment whether to go in or not, but eventually decides against it; she needs to save her allowance, after all.

"I'm home," she calls out when she gets home, and there's a muffled response from the kitchen from Miharu-san. She peeks into the living room as she heads over to the kitchen, but it's empty save for the elder woman. "Is Mom not here?" she asks.

"No, your mother went out to dinner with some of her friends," Miharu-san responds.

"Ah," Usagi mutters, though internally she's grinning in triumph. "I'll be in my room then."

"Alright, dear. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Usagi nods as she heads up to her room, tossing her bag onto her desk as she flops back on her bed. For some reason she feels more exhausted than normal, and lying down only makes her eyelids more heavy. Before she knows it, she's halfway into a doze.

A loud noise startles her into consciousness, and Usagi sits up with her nerves on edge, breathing heavily. She looks around her room to determine what the noise was, only to be surprised to see the very cat she'd just been dreaming about sitting on her windowsill. "The kitty with the bald spot," she muses, already calming down from the startle. "What are you doing here?" she asks, though she isn't expecting a response from the animal.

Somehow, the cat looks indignant. "It's not a bald spot!" it growls, and Usagi blinks.

"The cat just talked. I must still be dreaming."

"My name is Luna. I have been looking for you, Usagi-chan," it – she, judging by the voice – continues, to Usagi's stunned surprise. "Thank you for removing the bandages. It disabled my ability to speak and look for you. The kids around this neighborhood are so annoying. But I'm glad I found you. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't."

"Right," Usagi mutters, turning to lie down with her back to the window. "I'm going back to bed. Good night."

"Wha – Usagi-chan!" the cat scolds. "This isn't a dream!"

"Yes it is." Then she hears a tiny sigh from behind her.

"All right then, I'll prove it," Luna says. The cat lets out a grunt and then Usagi feels something drop onto the bed behind her. She has a brief horrifying thought that the cat has just taken a dump on her bed when Luna says, "Here's a gift for you, Usagi-chan."

It takes her a moment to find the motivation to turn over, still expecting a nasty surprise, but when she does she is surprised to find a small brooch resting on her covers. She picks it up and the small gold piece fits comfortably in the palm of her hand. The large center design has a gold crescent the same color as the rest of the piece facing upwards where a small pink circle sits. On the outer rims of the brooch are four tiny gemstones colored red, green, yellow, and blue on the top, left, right, and bottom, respectively. It's cute, and Usagi looks at the cat in confusion.

"It's for you," Luna says, but then grows serious when she starts talking again. "Listen, Usagi-chan. Right now in Tokyo, many vicious crimes are occurring as we speak. You are the chosen Guardian. You have a mission: find your allies and defeat the villains! Then, please, save our princess…"

"What? Luna…" Usagi trails off, starting to feel overwhelmed. She shakes her head. "I'm not a Guardian, or whatever you think I am. I'm just your average middle school girl. I don't fight monsters and villains after school like some shoujo heroine. You've got the wrong girl." She sets the brooch back down on her bed between them.

"Usagi-chan, you're wrong," Luna says. "I know you're the one I'm looking for. And I can prove it." She gets a determined glint in her cat eyes, and Usagi swallows apprehensively. "Pick up the brooch and shout 'Moon Prism Power Make Up!'" Seeing her hesitation, Luna urges her again. "Do it!"

With a grimace and, feeling a little ridiculous, Usagi picks the brooch back up. She glances at Luna once more, but when the cat only watches her expectantly, she repeats the phrase with slightly less determination than Luna had managed. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

The brooch starts to shine brightly, enveloping the room in blinding light. Usagi shuts her eyes against the onslaught and a warm sensation washes over her body. When she opens them again, her school uniform has vanished, replaced with a modified sailor uniform. She stands and rushes over to her full-body mirror to get a good look at herself.

Her white shirt has changed into a leotard, with a blue collar that has two white stripes on it. The red bow on her chest is a much more vibrant color, with the brooch she'd been holding pinned right in its center. A blue pleated skirt is directly attached to her leotard, and it's much shorter than her school's uniform, reaching her upper thighs. On her arms she's wearing white gloves that reach her elbows, with red bands at the top, and on her feet are red knee-high boots with a white stripe at the top and a yellow crescent moon in the center point. And it's not just her clothes that have changed. She's wearing a red choker with a moon, little golden earrings, a golden tiara with a red gem in the center, and these red and white hairpieces on her buns.

"Do you see it now?" Luna asks, her tone smug.

"I –" Usagi begins, and then falters because this is sort of unbelievable. "I don't know what to say. What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You fight the monsters and defeat the villains, just like I said," Luna said. "You have powers, Usagi-chan, and you have me. I'll be right by your side to help you."

"But…why? Why me?" she asks wondrously.

"Evil cannot be allowed to exist in this world," Luna stated. "And as for why you've been chosen, I'll explain that later. Now, we need to get going."

"What?" Usagi turned quickly, looking at the cat in alarm. "Go where?"

Luna meets her gaze calmly. "Just relax, and focus. See if you can tell yourself."

Usagi scowls. "That's not very helpful. Focus on what?"

"Anything out of the ordinary," Luna says. "You are Sailor Moon, a Sailor Guardian; trust your instincts to feel where the evil in this world gathers."

Usagi huffs, shooting a brief scowl at the cat before closing her eyes to better concentrate. She still feels a little ridiculous listening to what a cat is trying to tell her, but the longer she stands there in her new getup the more it starts to sink in that maybe there's something special about her. She takes a deep breath to clear her mind and focus on anything she feels out of the ordinary. At first she feels nothing, too aware of herself to realize there's anything else there, but as her breathing slows and her mind starts to focus she begins to detect…anomalies that make her instincts tingle and she knows she's found something. Then she hears it.

"Help, anyone…My mom!"

Her eyes snap open and she looks at Luna, who as a proud expression on her face. "I know that voice," Usagi mutters, thinking over where she remembers it from. "Osaka-san! What do we do?"

"We go help her," Luna says. "Come on, Usagi-chan!" She leaps out of the window, easy as can be, and Usagi falters when she tries to follow. Everything she knows says jumping out of the second story window is a bad idea, but Luna seems unconcerned and she hasn't lied about anything yet this evening, so Usagi takes a leap of faith.

It's almost like she's flying. She's still falling, yeah, but she feels way more in control than she'd have expected, and as the ground approaches she braces herself, landing heavily but unhurt on her feet in a crouch. Luna is sitting in front of her, watching. Usagi stands. "Let's go." Luna nods, and then the two of them are running down the street towards the shopping district where Usagi knows Osaka's family's store and apartment are located.

The store is dark when they arrive, but the doors open automatically when she approaches. She can see something vaguely humanoid behind the counter, and though she can't see her classmate, she can hear the girl whimpering. More horrifying, though, are the bodies that lie crumpled all over the shop's floor. Usagi stares at the one closest to her long enough to determine the woman is still breathing and it calms her nerves just slightly enough to allow her to focus. "Hey, old hag!" she calls out, drawing the thing's attention.

Its skin is a tanned brown and wrinkly, and its hair is a kinky mess of brown. There's a red starburst in the middle of its forehead, and its teeth are sharpened to impressive points. Usagi briefly recalls Luna mentioning she has powers, but the cat definitely never told her how to use them and she's not sure her meager - and by meager, she means purely theoretical - fighting skills will be enough to take down whatever that thing is.

"Luna, what do we do?" she whispers angrily to the cat beside her. She doesn't get the chance to respond before the thing is growling at her.

"Who are you?" it snaps.

"Uh…I'm…" Usagi trails off, glancing imploringly at Luna. The cat turns around and glances pointedly at the sky behind them, where a large waning moon hangs behind them. Something calming settles over Usagi. "I am the Guardian of Love and Justice, Sailor Moon. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you," she finishes, pointing at the creature.

"Sailor Moon? I've never heard of you!" it snarls. Then it raises its hands. "Rise up, all the servants who contributed their energies to our great master!" it shouts. Usagi tenses as the bodies she'd dismissed earlier all start to groan and stand. Their eyes are glowing, and she knows without a doubt that they're under the creature's control. Her thoughts are confirmed a moment later when the monster shouts, "Get her!"

They start throwing themselves at Usagi. She dodges the first one, shoving her to the side as another approaches. She lashes out, trying to recall basic martial arts moves. They don't fight very well, so she doesn't need to hit or kick them very hard to push them aside. The only issue is there are so many of them, and just one of her. She's forced to retreat several times or risk getting overwhelmed.

When she finds herself near Luna on one of the displays she asks the cat, "What do I do?!"

"You need to fight her, Sailor Moon!" she shouts back.

"How?!" she snaps. "I'm a little busy at the moment!"

"Then take care of them first, or run!"

Usagi scowls, glancing around the area. The biggest thing is the display case beside her so she leaps up onto that, the jump easier than she expected given it's nearly as tall as her waist. She starts leaping from case to case in the store, making her way away from the crowd and towards the monster still standing behind the counter.

"Okay, now grab your tiara!" Luna instructs, and Usagi pauses. She reaches up to grab the thing off her head. "Now shout 'Moon Tiara Action' and throw it!"

Usagi blinks, but she doesn't have much time to question Luna's instructions as the minions start to swarm her. She changes her grip in preparation to throw it and shouts per Luna's instruction. "Moon Tiara Action!" she says as she flings it at the monster. As she does the tiara changes shape into a sealed golden disk, glowing brightly with some kind of power as it hurtles towards the monster, gaining speed. It hits her squarely in the chest and the monster screams in pain. They watch as her skin starts to crumble, breaking until she's just a pile of dust on the counter.

"You did it, Sailor Moon!" Luna praises.

Usagi is still standing on the case, gaping in surprise, when she hears a movement from the upper balcony. She quickly turns, gaze searching, to find someone standing behind a pillar in the shadows. Then the shadow quickly moves, jumping out the window. Usagi rushes out of the store to try and catch a glimpse, heedless of Luna's shouts. She barely sees a figure touch briefly on a streetlamp before disappearing.

"Who was that?" Usagi asks, just as Luna joins her outside.

"Who was what, Sailor Moon?" the cat asks.

Usagi shakes her head. "Never mind. We should get back, yeah?"

"Probably," Luna agrees. "Those women will all be waking up soon. It would be best if we're not seen just yet."

"Alright." Usagi begins running back to her home, but all she can think about is the crazy night she's just had. She's still not entirely unconvinced it's not a dream, but for now she can go along with it.

When they get back to her house she doesn't even hesitate before jumping right into her room, landing softly on the windowsill. Luna follows moments later. She steps into her room feeling out of place in her new getup. Her left hand comes up to clasp at the brooch. "How do I get out of this?"

"Just concentrate, and let the transformation fade away," Luna instructs. She does as Luna says, finding it much easier to focus this time around, and soon that warm feeling is brushing over her again. When she opens her eyes – she hadn't even noticed they'd shut – she's back in her school uniform. Wordlessly she begins to change into her pajamas.

"Why me, Luna?" she asks, sitting back down on her bed. A wave of exhaustion hits her and she wants to fall asleep for real this time.

"I'll explain that later, Usagi-chan," Luna deflects again. Usagi would scowl but she can't muster the energy.

"I'm not a hero, Luna," she tries to explain.

"You could be," she distantly hears Luna say, and then she's falling fast into unconsciousness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Usagi wakes to the light shining in her eyes again, and holds up a lazy hand to give herself a brief reprieve. Then she sits up, glancing around her room but there's nothing out of the ordinary. She shrugs and sluggishly gets out of bed, going through her morning ablutions. She's too tired to deal with Miharu-san and possibly her mother, so she skips breakfast entirely and heads straight for school.

In the classroom, the girls are all clustered around Osaka-san again, but from what Usagi can tell they're not gossiping about jewelry anymore. She pauses her music to listen in, her curiosity getting the better of her. Her crazy dream last night featured her classmate, and something about it unsettles her.

"I passed out when the robber attacked me!" Osaka-san is saying, her movements animated. "But I swear, before I lost consciousness I saw a Sailor Guardian come to save me!" The girls exclaim appropriately over this, but Usagi freezes, the phrase catching her attention. Before she can fully make the decision she's out of her seat and rushing out the door to the bathroom. She passes a surprised Sakurada-sensei, but she doesn't stop to talk to the woman.

Instead of the bathroom she finds herself in an empty corridor of the building and leans on an opened window to catch her breath. What Osaka-san was describing had been a lot like her dream, but it can't have been true, right? Before she can truly panic, a voice speaks up beside her.

"It was real, Usagi-chan." She startles and looks on the stairs beside her to find Luna sitting and watching her. "You are Sailor Moon, and it is your destiny to fight the evil that will come."

"I'm not a hero," she says, vaguely recalling saying something like that the night before.

"You can be, and I think you'll be a good one," Luna tells her.

"I don't want to be a hero," she clarifies. "I don't want to die. I just want to be average."

Luna shakes her head. "It's too late for that now. But, I think you might not mind it as much as you believe you do right now. Just give it some time, Usagi-chan, and no matter what, I'm here for you."

Usagi watches the cat for several moments longer. "Okay…"


	2. House of Fortune

_Tsukino Usagi_

For once, Usagi is running late, and she fully blames Luna for this. Dreams filled with that monster she'd fought only two days before kept her up, and the lack of sleep has finally caught up to her. She just has Miharu-san to thank for providing some toast for her to eat while she runs to school. She barely makes it through the gates as the bell rings and curses when she realizes she probably isn't going to beat Sakurada-sensei to the classroom.

When she arrives at the back door she quietly slips it open to see what's going on. Sakurada-sensei is still writing their opening assignment on the board, with her back turned to the class. Good, so roll hasn't been called; she can still sneak in. Ever so quietly she slides the door open just wide enough for her to slip in, then slides it shut just as quietly. The kid right next to the door happens to notice, but she shoots him a dark look that has him quickly turning back around.

She thanks whatever force it was that gave her a seat in the back as she easily makes her way over, slipping into her seat without a sound. She breathes a sigh of relief – and then the silence is shattered.

"Oh! Good morning, Tsukino-san," Umino Gurio exclaims, breaking the peace of the class. "I didn't see you come in."

Usagi grits her teeth in annoyance as Sakurada-sensei rounds on her. "Tsukino, you're late! Out in the hall," she orders. Usagi scowls but does as she asks, standing with a clatter of her chair before heading out and taking great satisfaction in slamming the door this time.

Moments later, though, the door is opening again, but instead of Sakurada-sensei it's Umino , looking sheepish as he stands next to her. Usagi gives him a look. "What are you out here for?"

"Disrupting class," he replies with a nervous chuckle.

Usagi rolls her eyes. Serves him right for calling her out like that. She is well aware he has a crush on her, but she had hoped that her lack of response would have deterred him by now. Apparently not.

"Sorry about getting you in trouble," he says after a long pause.

"It's fine," she mutters, if only to keep him quiet. It wasn't, but complaining might invite him to talk and she really doesn't care.

Eventually Sakurada-sensei lets them back in the class after a light scolding. Usagi is just glad to get away from Gurio; he'd kept trying to talk to her, despite her curt answers. But now she's free. He doesn't even try to join her at lunch as he is wont to do sometimes. In fact, for the rest of the day he keeps to himself.

Usagi muses about it as she walks home when she mentions the incident to Luna and the cat asks about Umino . "I don't know why he's so obsessed with me," she tells her companion. "I might've said hello to him at the beginning of the year or something."

"And you don't like it?" she asks.

"I might not mind it if he weren't so annoying," Usagi admits. "But he always wants to talk about the latest big craze that's going around town, and he's so enthusiastic that it grates on my nerves."

"Usagi-chan," Luna gently chides, "you should try and take more interest in the things he likes. Isn't that what friends do?"

Usagi shrugs. "Sure, but we're not friends so why should I?"

"Does Umino-san know that?" Luna asks.

"Don't know, don't care," Usagi says, rolling her eyes. As they pass an alley she catches sight of an old man sitting behind a table, the sign draped over the front proclaiming him a palm reader. Distantly she recalls hearing about this man – he'd been all the rage among her classmates a couple of days ago, if their gossip was anything to go by. She never usually paid any attention to them; it was a miracle this managed to stick in her mind.

But now she's curious, and without bothering to tell Luna she ducks into the alley to talk to the old man. "What happened to all the people?" she asks him. After the words have left her mouth she realizes how rude that might have come across, but it's too late to take them back, and anyways the man seems amused by her frankness, if his chuckle is anything to go by.

"I'm afraid they've found something newer and flashier than me," he says sadly, nodding his head at something behind Usagi. She turns and immediately notices the shop across the street proclaiming itself the House of Fortune.

"Huh," she says. She doesn't recall hearing about it in her classmates' gossip, but she might not have been paying too close attention. Then she turns back to the old man. "Well, I think I'd prefer having my palm read," she proclaims, holding out her right palm.

The man pauses for a moment before smiling gently and reaching out to grab her hand to maneuver it to where he can look at her palm. "Hmm," he mutters as he examines her hand. Usagi really hopes it isn't too sweaty; that would be embarrassing. "I see you are well-liked, and it is by a boy you see quite often," he eventually says.

For a moment Usagi brightens, her thoughts immediately turning to Motoki-oniisan at the arcade. She'd had a crush on him for a while now – really, ever since she started going to the arcade her first year of middle school. The idea that he – a college student! – could have a crush on her makes her flush and her insides all nice and warm.

But then she recalls the conversation she'd just had with Luna about a certain someone and the warm feeling instantly vanishes. She sees Umino far more often than she does Motoki, and she knows for a fact that he has a crush on her. If that's who the fortune teller means…Usagi tries not to let her disappointment show.

"Thank you," she tells him instead. "I'll keep that in mind."

He gives her a polite nod. "Have a nice afternoon, then." She nods in goodbye and turns to leave the alley.

She finds Luna waiting for her a couple of paces away from the entrance to the alley, watching her intently as she approaches. "What did he say?" she asks.

"Nothing important," she tells her. She can't help but glance across the street at the House of Fortune and wonders if she'd get a different reading if she went in there.

"Don't tell me you want to check out that place as well," Luna asks, judgement clouding her tone clear enough for Usagi. She huffs and turns to keep walking back down the street, her nose upturned.

"Of course not," she claims. "There's someone I have to see."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Twenty minutes later Usagi is seated at a console for the latest Sailor V game, and sitting beside her is an exasperated Luna. "If I'd known you had wanted to come to the arcade I would've put up more of a fight," she bemoans, though Usagi isn't listening to her. She's been trying to beat this level for a while now, and she'll be damned if she leaves before defeating it. Besides, there's still someone she wants to see.

"Oh, Usagi-chan!" she hears, and speak of the devil.

She turns from her game in favor of beaming a smile up at her favorite person. "Motoki-oniisan! Hi!"

"I feel like it's been a while since I last saw you around," he remarks, leaning against the game console next to her. Then his gaze catches on Luna on her other side. "Oh, it's that kitty who likes to hang around. She a friend of yours?"

Usagi struggles not to let her smile droop in any way. "Yeah, just a stray I picked up not long ago."

"Really?" he says, giving her a glance. "I've noticed it hanging around here some evenings."

She shrugs, not knowing what to say to that. "Who knows what goes through animals' heads sometimes."

Motoki chuckles. "You've got that right. Anyways, I'm glad you're back. It's been quieter without you around to shout at the machines," he says with a teasing grin.

Usagi tries to get mad, but she's pleased by his teasing and it comes off a lot less heated than she'd intended. "I do not!" she claims, the slight flush to her cheeks detracting from the anger in her statement. If anything, Motoki just looks fond at her outburst.

"Really?" he asks, sounding dubious as he pretends to contemplate something. "You mean it wasn't you who put a dent in one of our games when you got frustrated with the final boss?"

This time Usagi can't stop the flush that rises on her cheeks. "I would never," she swears, though she can vividly recall the incident in question, and she knows Motoki knows as well. But he's teasing her, and though it's at her expense she still kind of enjoys it.

Until she feels a tugging at her uniform sleeve and glances down to find Luna pulling roughly at her arm. "What? What do you want?" Luna makes some growling noises, but Usagi knows she'd never dare to speak in front of someone else, so she's glad for the opportunity to play dumb about the cat's intentions. "I don't want to go."

Motoki chuckles. "It is getting a little late. Are you sure you don't have to head home?"

Usagi glances outside to find the sky starting to turn orange with the fading sunlight and resists the urge to sigh, feeling Luna tug all the harder on her sleeve. "I guess…" she admits, unable to keep the dejection out of her voice. Motoki notices anyways and laughs.

"Don't worry, Usagi-chan, you can always come back tomorrow," he tells her, which she knows, but they were having a great conversation today and she doesn't want it to end just yet.

"I guess," she agrees.

"Then I look forward to it," Motoki says, and it brings some life back into Usagi when she hears it.

"Okay then!" she says, her voice much more cheerful. "I'll be back tomorrow! See you, Motoki-oniisan!"

As soon as they're outside Luna rounds on Usagi. "It's about time you left that stupid arcade. You should spend this time training instead of playing video games, Usagi-chan," she scolds. "You have to be ready for the next time evil comes to Tokyo."

Usagi rolls her eyes. "I think you worry too much, Luna."

"Usagi-chan…" the cat growls.

"Look, I'll predict my own future, watch," Usagi says, wiggling her shoe until it dangles off her foot. "Heads I'll get to go home, tails I'll go train with you." Without waiting to hear a response from the cat she swings her foot, flinging the shoe up into the air in a wide arc. It travels behind her and Usagi loses track of it, until she hears a small, "Ow," and flinches.

She tenses when she realizes she's hit someone and hesitantly turns around to see who it is. Of course, when she recognizes the boy all traces of guilt vanish as her eyes narrow on the stranger she'd encountered just two days ago – coincidentally the same day she became Sailor Moon. He's holding her shoe, looking at it in confusion while his other hand rubs at the top of his head where he was likely hit. Then his gaze travels from the shoe to her, immediately spotting the missing shoe on her right foot and piecing together what happened. "You hit me again, Bun-head," he snaps.

"Is that all you can say?" she retorts angrily, never mind the fact she hit him with her shoe, so of the two of them he has an actual reason to be a little annoyed. There's just something about him that irks her.

"What are you going around flinging your shoe for?" he asks instead of replying.

Usagi storms over to grab it from him, snapping, "None of your business," as she stuffs her foot back into the shoe.

He snorts as he watches her. "You know you'll never find a boyfriend if you can't act lady-like."

She bristles, thinking of her fortune earlier today. "Sure, thanks," she grits out. "Come on, Luna," she calls to the cat as she storms away from the guy. Regardless of however her shoe had landed, she plans on going home, and damn whatever Luna says about it.

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Something is different at school the next day, though Usagi can't quite put her finger on what exactly it is until Umino arrives at school, wearing a suit of all things. She's at her shoe locker when he walks up to her, brimming with confidence as he leans against the lockers next to her and turns an intense gaze on her. "Hey there, Usagi-chan," he begins. "Go out on a date with me."

For a moment Usagi is stunned by the question. She'd never thought Umino would work up the courage to ask her out, and silently prayed he never would. And yet here he stands. She grimaces and turns away from the boy. "No."

"Now hold on," he quickly says, reaching out to grab her arm. She stops out of sheer surprise of his boldness. Umino had never once tried to lay a hand on her, and she immediately knows she doesn't like this new attitude of his. She rips her arm out of his grip and spins, ready to verbally take him down a peg or two when she hears Sakurada-sensei exclaim from behind her.

"Umino-kun, what in the world are you wearing?" she asks, aghast. It is a pretty hideous suit, in Usagi's opinion.

Umino seems entirely unconcerned as he pulls out a sandwich from a pocket in his jacket. "Whatever I want," he says, taking a bite as he walks off. As he passes Sakurada-sensei, Usagi watches, astonished, as he flips her skirt in the air, showing off her underwear.

Sakurada seems pretty astonished too, if the way she flushes bright red and sinks to the floor is anything. "What-what happened?" she mutters, stunned.

'You're asking me?' Usagi thinks to herself as she gathers her bag and enters the school.

The behavior doesn't stop. In class Umino blatantly reads manga while Sakurada-sensei lectures, not even bothering to stifle his chuckles. It drives Sakurada insane – and she's still angered over the skirt-flipping incident from earlier – but nothing she does or threatens seems to have any effect on him and she is eventually forced to concede defeat. None of their other teachers seem to know how to deal with it either and eventually give up on stopping him as well.

The insanity seems to peak after school ends. Usagi is a little late in leaving the school, having stayed back for a detention in English after failing an assignment to even out her last grade a little, when she hears a ruckus from the school grounds below her. She peeks out the window and sees Umino and a couple other boys with baseball bats and rocks destroying the windows of the building's first floor.

"What is going on?" she remarks aloud, utterly stunned by the day's events. It's like a switch has been flipped in the students below, who she knows have never behaved like this before.

"Nothing good," a voice speaks up from beside her and Usagi jumps. When she looks down beside her she spots Luna making her way down the hallway to jump up onto the ledge right beside her. "I've been doing some research, and I think there's something we should look into." She gives Usagi a pointed glance. Usagi sighs before nodding in agreement. Luna hops down from the ledge and starts trotting off. Usagi wordlessly follows behind.

Once they've walked off the school campus Luna starts talking to Usagi, telling her what she's found. "I've discovered there's been an increase of dark energy in the shopping district and so I did some research last night and today while you were in school. The only thing that seemed remotely suspicious was that House of Fortune shop that popped up not too long ago, so I've been staking them out." She pauses dramatically, and Usagi realizes she's meant to respond.

"What did you find?" she asks, hoping it's the right question. She's been half-paying attention to Luna while they walked, internally bemoaning the loss of her afternoon.

It seems to be right since Luna carries on with her explanation. "Every one of those boys who was acting out in the yard today has visited the House of Fortune recently. There must be something evil going on there. We have to check it out and put a stop to it, Usagi-chan."

"What?" she says as she halts on the sidewalk. They're in the Juuban Shopping District now, but oddly enough the streets are pretty empty. As a result, there's no one around to witness their conversation, for which Usagi is thankful. "What do you mean stop it, Luna? Are you saying I'm going to have to fight some monster again?"

Luna looks confused, a couple steps ahead of Usagi where she'd walked before she realized Usagi had stopped. "Of course you will. There's no one else but you."

"But I just started this thing! I'm not ready to fight more monsters," Usagi argues, fear creeping down her spine as she recalls the monster from two nights ago. Its sallow gray skin with a red mark in the center of its forehead – it still haunts her dreams, and she isn't prepared to take down something like that again. "I'm not ready."

Luna tuts in displeasure. "Well, if you had committed to your training instead of spending your afternoons in the arcade then maybe you would be ready."

"I'm 14, Luna," she reminds the cat. "I'm not supposed to be training to fight monsters, let alone fighting them in the first place."

"Yes, but you are Sailor Moon," Luna says imperiously. "If you don't fight this evil, then who will?" At that Usagi pauses, her gaze caught in Luna's intense stare. "If you don't fight these monsters, evil will run amok and you'll have more problems than a couple of unruly classmates at school." Usagi swallows nervously. "Now come on, Usagi-chan. You can do this; I'll be by your side the whole time."

"Right," she mutters. When Luna starts walking again she follows, though at a more sedate pace.

"The House of Fortune is just up ahead," Luna says some moments later, and Usagi apprehensively looks across the street at the apparently evil lair. "Transform and then we'll go investigate."

"Right," she repeats, though her lingering fear keeps her from saying the words that will activate her transformation brooch.

After a moment where nothing happens, Luna sighs and looks up at her. "Usagi-chan, think of Umino-kun and your classmates, of your teacher. Are you really going to let them carry on like that?"

It's a difficult internal struggle for her. On one hand, she really couldn't care about Umino and the others. She doesn't have much interaction with her classmates, nor they with her, save Umino. But therein lies her problem. With his new personality, it's likely that Umino will continue making advances at her, which Usagi really doesn't want. Defeating this monster will probably turn him back to normal, but to do that she has to fight it.

She really, really, really doesn't want to do that. But, she supposes, it would be in the best interest of her future sanity to do so. To save her classmates.

She sighs again. "Okay. Moon Prism Power Make Up!" The warmth of the transformation flows through her body, and when it vanishes she's back in the same uniform from two nights ago. It's still odd to see herself in it, knowing that she has these powers.

"Come on, Usagi-chan," Luna says, breaking through her reverie. "There's no time to waste."

"Right."

The duo head right into the House of Fortune. It's eerily quiet, and there isn't a soul around. As they make their way deeper into the building Usagi's nerves start to return, growing from the anticipation of facing down another monster. Luna trudges on fearlessly, and Usagi has no idea how she does it. She's a cat, after all; she's virtually useless in a fight unless she's giving instructions.

Eventually the hall they're in has a doorway that opens up into a larger room, and the pair cautiously peek around the corner. A mystical looking woman with long hair in a long purple dress stands before a gathered crowd – and Usagi can recognize many of her classmates in it, including Umino – speaking and encouraging them to go forth and spread their chaos.

"Usagi-chan!" Luna hisses to her. "We have to stop them now!"

She's well aware they have to do something, but she has no idea what to do. Unfortunately, though, she has no time to come up with a plan. Despite her attempt to be quiet, it seems the monster still heard Luna's hushed words and her attention quickly snaps to the doorway where Usagi is still peeking around the corner. She freezes as her eyes immediately lock with the woman, and she knows without a doubt that she is the source of the evil.

Usagi stumbles out from the doorway; after all, there's no point in hiding any longer when she's already been caught. "Stop!" she says, trying to project a confidence she barely feels. "In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Very well then," the woman says, pulling a deck of cards out from somewhere and shuffling them briefly before flinging them at Usagi. She yelps and flinches as one of them lands close enough to leave a scratch on her cheek.

"Hey!' she snaps.

"Sailor Moon, focus!" Luna shouts at her. She nods and stands straighter.

Then the woman transforms, her skin turning a sickly green while her eyes turn yellow and her black hair lengthens, curling high above her head while the ends form crude hand shapes. Once her transformation is complete she shouts, "Get her!" Then the boys gathered change as well, their faces and eyes turning green and yellow, before they advance on her.

Usagi backs up until she hits the wall, reluctant to fight them; they are her classmates after all, not like the strangers the last monster had summoned. But soon she won't have that option. Umino is the closest and he reaches out for her, grabbing onto her raised arm. She yanks it out of his grip and shoves him away, but then two of the others grab for her and Usagi can no longer hold back. She punches one of them in the face and then knees another in the gut. They fall away, but there are still others to take their place and she's soon overwhelmed. She falls to her knees after one of the boys kicks the back of her leg, another knock to her head disorienting her enough for them to push her down onto her stomach.

She shuts her eyes against the barrage of blows, whimpering from the pain. There are definitely going to be bruises all over her body come tomorrow. But then Usagi hears the monster shout out in pain and the blows suddenly stop. When she opens her eyes the boys gathered around her are frozen, and she haltingly starts to get up. They make no moves to stop her and once she's standing she takes several steps away from them. Then she notices the rose at the monster's feet, a long scratch cutting its face in half.

"Who is it now?" the monster screeches.

"Don't give up, Sailor Moon!" she hears from the doorway, and when she looks over there's a guy in a full tuxedo, complete with a red-lined cape, top hat, and white mask covering his eyes. Recognition strikes her and she realizes he was the figure that vanished from the shop that first night.

"Who are you?" she asks, stunned.

"I am Tuxedo Mask," he proclaims. "Now focus, Sailor Moon."

Usagi turns back to the monster in time to see it charging her, her hands and the hands in its hair both reaching for her. She quickly jumps out of the way, and watches as the hair hands leave gouges in the marble floor. 'Oh shit,' Usagi thinks. Acting quickly, she pulls off her tiara and prepares to throw it. "Moon Tiara Action!"

It strikes the monster in the stomach as it turns to charge Usagi again, halting in its steps. The monster is stopped in its tracks before disintegrating into a pile of dust like the last one did. The boys in the corner all drop to the floor, but their complexion returns to what it'd been before so Usagi figures they'll be fine once they wake up.

"Good work, Sailor Moon, but we should probably go before they start to wake," Luna says, trotting over to Usagi from wherever she'd been hiding.

"Right."

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Usagi had hoped that, with the end of the House of Fortune, Umino would give her some space for a little while out of the sheer embarrassment of asking her out. However, he either didn't remember what he did or felt apologetic enough to say something to her because the very next day Umino approaches her before homeroom.

"Hey Tsukino-san," he says, wringing his hands as he walks up to her desk. She glances sideways at him from where her head is propped on her hands, trying to keep the annoyance off her face. "I just wanted to apologize for my actions yesterday. I-I'm absolutely appalled by how I behaved. Please can you forgive me!?"

Usagi blinks in surprise, her arms dropping. "Um, sure, I guess," she says. Not that there was really anything to forgive; he hadn't messed with her personally, save asking her out, and even then he'd been rather tame. She wasn't entirely sure why he felt the need to apologize to her specifically, but whatever. It seemed to please him either way.

"You're too kind, Tsukino-san!" he crows, a beaming smile on his face as all traces of nervousness disappear. He looks like he wants to say more, but right then Sakurada-sensei walks in to begin class and Usagi breathes a sigh of relief as she's saved.


	3. Talk Radio

_Tsukino Usagi_

Usagi's foot taps impatiently as they wait for Sakurada-sensei to arrive. By her watch she's nearly 15 minutes late, which is unusual for the normally punctual woman. Her classmates have already started muttering amongst themselves, though Usagi doesn't join in. She does, however, listen in, since occasionally they gossip about interesting things.

She doesn't hear anything particularly interesting before the door eventually opens and Sakurada-sensei slowly lumbers her way over to the podium. She drops her books atop it before slowly grabbing for the roll book and opening it. She stares at it blankly for several seconds before saying, "I guess I'll take attendance." But before she can read a word the book slips from her hands with a loud clatter onto the table. "On second thought, it's a free period," she mutters tiredly instead before slumping over on the desk.

Usagi glances around and sees everyone else is just as confused as she is. "Should we call an ambulance?" Umino asks. Someone answers him, but Usagi isn't paying attention. She subconsciously frowns; there's something…off about Sakurada-sensei, but Usagi can't tell what.

They do end up calling for help, and five minutes later Sakurada-sensei is being carried out of the school on a stretcher into the back of an ambulance. Their class watches from the second story window. "I hear there's something going around where you fall asleep and never wake up," Osaka-san remarks to Umino, standing just behind Usagi. She glances to the side in interest, trying to listen to the conversation.

"Oh yeah! I remember seeing that on the forums last night," Umino adds. "The doctors haven't been able to figure out what's causing it. Everyone's in a panic."

"I wonder if it has anything to do with that pin she was wearing," Usagi muses to herself. She had been getting some weird vibes from Sakurada-sensei this morning, but the only thing she could think to attribute it to was the massive flower pin she'd had on her jacket.

"Oh, I noticed that!" Osaka-san interjects, and Usagi flinches when she realizes the other girl had heard her. "I think she got it from the radio station."

"The what now?" Usagi blurts. But she doesn't get an answer from the girl since one of the other instructors comes in to tell them they're dismissed for the day. Her classmates disperse to grab their things and head out, Usagi among them. She contemplates heading to the Game Center when she hears her name being called and pauses.

"Tsukino-san!" Osaka calls, running up to her.

"Yes?" she asks, cocking her head to the side.

"You were asking about the radio show but we got interrupted," her classmate explains, and Usagi lets out a noise of recognition. She hadn't expected the girl to seek her out to respond. "It's called Midnight Zero, and it's a radio show that's really popular right now," Osaka-san begins as they start walking. "People send in their love letters and if yours gets chosen to be read aloud that night you'll get a prize like that pin Haruna-sensei was wearing."

"Ah," Usagi nods. "I wonder if anyone else who received the pin is in the hospital unable to wake up," she muses aloud.

"You think they're related?" Osaka-san asks her, sounding confused. "But they're just jewelry." Then she shrugs. "Besides, all the letters are anonymous so we wouldn't know either way."

"Right," Usagi mutters. "What station is it on?"

"KJN-10," she answers. "Are you going to listen?"

Usagi shrugs. "Maybe I'll –" She's cut off as she runs bodily into something, almost knocking herself flat on her rear. She quickly bows, adopting an apologetic tone. Wouldn't want Osaka to think she's always rude; the girl does have useful information from time to time, so she'd like to stay on her good side. "I'm so sorry about that," she says. Then she hears a deep chuckle and her sympathy runs dry.

"Very polite of you to apologize to the telephone pole."

She looks up and her eyes immediately narrow on the boy standing in front of her, a smirk on his face. She remembers him from before, when he'd made fun of her test score and she'd later hit him with her shoe. It's just her luck she runs into him again. "And I'd do it again before apologizing to you," she retorts.

"Ooh, snappy," he says. "I heard you guys talking before. You upset your love letter wasn't good enough to be read?"

Usagi scoffs, turning up her nose. "As if I'd care about something like that." She starts to push past the boy to walk away, but then remembers that she'd been walking with Osaka-san, who seems a little stunned by the whole encounter. She turns to the girl and bites out an awkward, "See you in class tomorrow," before walking off to stew in her annoyance.

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At 23:59 Usagi pulls out her radio and tunes it to the station Osaka had mentioned earlier. Behind her she hears Luna messing around with the newspaper on her bed. "What did you say this program was called?" she asks.

"Midnight Zero," Usagi replies absently.

"And this is a…new program?"

"Apparently."

"I don't see it in the newspaper," she says. "Are you sure about this?"

Usagi shrugs. "This is just what I heard." As soon as the clock strikes midnight the radio comes to life and they hear the smooth voice of the radio DJ speaking.

"Good evening, ladies, and welcome to Midnight Zero. Tonight I've got a special letter for you all, sent in by the lovely Naru-chan."

He goes on to read the letter, but Usagi isn't paying any attention. If she recalls her class roster correctly, Naru is Osaka's given name. 'Did Osaka-san send in a letter to the show?' she wonders.

"This isn't the regularly scheduled programming," Luna says, oblivious to Usagi's distraction.

"Seems suspicious," Usagi remarks. "Do you think it warrants investigating?" she asks, hoping the cat will reply in the negative. She's only just dealt with that House of Fortune monster a couple of days ago; she isn't sure she wants to do it again so soon.

Her companion contemplates the question for a moment. "No, I don't think so. Not yet, at least," she finally replies. Usagi nods, relieved.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Usagi walks into class the next day and is abruptly reminded of her remark yesterday about the pins being related to the sleeping sickness when she sees Osaka-san wearing the exact same pin that Sakurada-sensei was wearing. Her classmate is far more alert than their teacher had been, but Usagi is willing to bet it won't last long. She stays back to watch as the other girls crowd around her, oohing and aahing over her letter being read.

The pin itself is sitting innocently on her desk, and Usagi pays careful attention as Osaka grabs and pins it on her uniform top. The reaction is instantaneous. Her eyelids start to droop as she relaxes in her seat. She doesn't fight it much longer and soon her head is dropping onto the desktop as she snores away. The girls around her are surprised, and it takes them a moment before they start trying to wake her up.

By the time their substitute instructor shows up the class has worked itself up into a minor frenzy out of concern for Osaka, and the harried teacher calls the ambulance for the second time in just as many days. Classes the rest of the day are tense and subdued.

As soon as they're released for the day Usagi finds Luna waiting for her right outside the school gates. "I think we will have to check out this radio station," she tells the cat once they've left the school crowd.

"What happened?"

"Osaka passed out in class today. We had to call the ambulance because we couldn't get her up," Usagi explains. "She had one of those pins from the radio show. I know it's related. I watched her fall asleep as soon as she put it on."

"This isn't good," Luna says when she's finished. "We'll have to go tonight."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This is, of course, far easier said than done, Usagi realizes when they're approaching the TV station and there's a guard on duty at the gate. She and Luna stop around the corner, peeking around to get a look. There's no other way inside; they have no choice but to go through the guard. "How are we supposed to get in?" she hisses to the cat. Luna is her guardian or mentor or whatever, so it's her responsibility to solve these kinds of situations.

"Leave it to me," she says.

'Thank god,' Usagi thinks. And then Luna jumps in the air, and Usagi is confused. The cat flips in midair and energy coalesces below her until it suddenly disperses, leaving behind a pink pen that Luna deftly catches before it can clatter on the ground. Usagi knows she's gaping, but she can't help it. She hadn't seen Luna do that last time when she'd given her the transformation brooch. Knowing Luna could do that and actually seeing her do it were two different things.

"This is your new Disguise Pen," she begins to explain, ignoring Usagi's incredulous expression. "Just toss it up in the air, call out 'Moon Power,' and tell it what you want to change into."

She spares a single dubious look but doesn't outright question her. Then she flicks the pen in the air, calling out, "Moon Power! Change me into a…radio announcer?" She doesn't intend it to be a question, but she hadn't thought of what she'd wanted before she threw it and an announcer was the first thing that popped into her head that she figured might get them through.

The warmth that she'd come to associate with her transformation fills her and she instinctively closes her eyes. When they open she's not wearing her uniform – Sailor Moon or school – but a smart suit-skirt combination. The pink is a little garish, in Usagi's opinion, but with her blonde hair – cut chin-length now; she really hopes that'll grow back out – she figures it'll make playing a ditzy blonde easier.

She channels the most obnoxious girls she can think of, ramping up her usual act when she approaches the gate, acting like she forgot her purse in the studio and could he pretty please let her in without her ID? If she happens to flirt a little at the same time, well, the guard is pretty cute, if a little older than her. But he lets them in without much fuss – and maybe a little exasperation – and soon they're making their way through the nearly empty building. It's a little disconcerting how silent everything is, but at least there's no one else to question them.

Luna seems to know where she's going so Usagi trails just steps behind her. When they get in the elevator Luna tells her the floor but then doesn't say another word, leaving Usagi to fidget in silence as she wonders what's going to happen. Should she transform into Sailor Moon now? Are they just going to barge into the radio studio? And then what, if they find the monster? If they don't? So many questions to ask, but Luna looks in the zone and Usagi gets the feeling she should be as well, but can't seem to manage it.

The elevator stops somewhere near the top of the building, and the long hallway they're in seems even quieter than the lobby before. Luna leads her to a room before looking up at Usagi with a pointed expression. Usagi balks. "What am I supposed to do, Luna?" she hisses quietly at the cat, hoping no one inside can hear them. These things are soundproofed, right?

"You are going to go inside and assess the situation. If you don't see a monster, then demand the show stop running; if you do, transform and fight," she tells her.

"What?!" Usagi exclaims. "That…doesn't sound like a great plan, Luna." She shoots a dubious look at the door, uncertain of what's waiting for her inside.

"It's the only thing we really can do," Luna retorts. "Now go, Usagi. Be confident. I'll be waiting out here to intervene if I need to."

Usagi takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. Really, it's not that complicated. Luna is right; this is pretty much their only option, and besides that, Usagi will be fine. She can transform in the instant she sees a monster, and Luna will be there to back her up, just as she's said. She knows she'd feel a lot more confident going in as Sailor Moon from the get-go, but she knows that's not a good idea if there are just civilians in there. "Alright," she says just a couple of moments later. "I can do this." She concentrates on what she has to do, adopting a stern expression for the confident radio announcer that she's playing.

With one last nod to herself she twists the doorknob and enters the room, and then pauses. "They're all asleep," she remarks under her breath for Luna's benefit. 'Well, all but her,' she mentally amends when she catches sight of the woman standing at the window into the booth. She steps further into the room. "What's going on here?" she demands as imperiously as she can. The woman turns, startled, but Usagi doesn't stop. "You don't have the authorization to be here. There shouldn't be a show at this hour."

She then heads into the sound booth where she can see a man sitting at the mic. "No, he's on air!" the woman shouts in an attempt to stop her, but Usagi ignores it. She walks right in, surprising the man though he doesn't stop speaking, and takes a seat opposite of him, putting on the headset in front of her.

"Ladies and gen–, well, stop listening right this moment," she declares.

"Wait!" the man says, standing.

Usagi plows through his words. "This station is bad for your health. Every one of the women who've received this station's pins have fallen into a deep sleep they can't wake from –"

"Usagi look out!" Luna shouts from the other room, right before something crashes through the studio window.

Usagi flinches as glass shatters around the room, some small bits hitting her in the face before she can get her arm up to protect it. The woman stands inside the room, staring intently at Usagi with a sinister smirk on her face. Usagi struggles to keep her face straight and not show how afraid she is. It gets harder when the woman transforms.

Her skin turns an ashy gray-purple as her features sharpen, her teeth becoming points. Her green blouse and black skirt change into a toga-like dress and her short auburn hair grows long and flowy. There's a black spot in the middle of her forehead just like the first monster Usagi fought. 'Oh shit,' is all she has time to think before the monster is opening her mouth and shooting a blast of something at Usagi. She scrambles out of her chair just in time to avoid a direct hit, but the blast hitting the wall throws her into another.

She has no time to lie there as the monster's mouth opens again, and this time Usagi makes her way out of the room and studio to avoid another explosion. Luna meets her in the hallway, seemingly unharmed. "Usagi-chan, transform now!"

"Yeah," she agrees. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

She finishes just in time because once the smoke clears from the hallway both the monster and the man are standing before her. "How dare you toy with the feelings of girls like this, asking them to bare their feelings when you only want their energy! I won't forgive it! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" she shouts, pointing an imperious finger at the duo.

The man looks utterly unconcerned. "So it's you who's been getting in our way," he says. He must be the one behind the recent attacks, Usagi realizes. He looks pretty sharp in the gray uniform he's wearing, so he must be higher up than all the monsters she's faced so far. If he's too much stronger than them, she might be in trouble.

"And you're the one responsible for these attacks," she retorts, voicing her earlier thought aloud.

"My name is Jadeite," he says, and she takes that as a confirmation. "Prepare yourself," he warns, right before his monster leaps forward. She's got an arm with wicked sharp nails stretched before her and Usagi jumps to the side to avoid them. Without hesitating the monster uses her blast of breath, but this time Usagi isn't lucky enough. It clips her on the shoulder, shredding her sleeve and throwing her roughly into the wall. The wind is knocked from her and she gasps, hearing Luna shout her name from the side.

She has no chance to recover as the monster does it again, hitting her solidly in the chest and pushing her through the next two walls behind her. Usagi collapses on the rubble and tries not to cry. Everything hurts, and she isn't too sure she can move, but she knows if she gets hit again she might be done for. In an effort to buy some time she raises her right arm – her left doesn't want to move – and grabs her tiara. The crunch of rubble tells her the monster – or its master – is probably moving towards her, but her vision is a little blurry from the knock to her head so she can't tell which. 'Either is fine, really,' she thinks, so she quickly flings it in a blind attack. "Moon Tiara Action!"

It likely swings wide because she doesn't hear any grunts of pain, but there is the sound of more rubble falling so she must've hit something. Then the quiet crunch of footsteps appears beside her. "Sailor Moon, you need to get up!" Luna hisses.

Usagi blinks to clear her vision and turns to see Luna crouched next to her. "It hurts," she groans.

"You'll be fine, but not if you stay here," she retorts.

Finally Usagi makes the effort to stand. Luna can't do much to help in that regard, as small as she is, but she watches with a worried expression as Usagi levers herself out of the pile she'd made from the two walls. She makes it unsteadily to her feet, and that's when she sees what her previous attack did. There's a hole in the ceiling where the tiara must've struck, and the falling rubble has blocked a bit of the hole she made in the wall. From the sounds coming from the other side, she doesn't think it'll hold for very long.

"We need to escape to the roof and get out in the open," Luna tells her. Usagi grimaces but nods. She gets a running start but manages to clear the distance, and just in time too as an explosion rocks the floor below as the monster no doubt blasts her way through.

She lands a little roughly on the roof, crouching to remain steady, but there's little time to rest as the monster soon follows her up. "Time for you to die!" it snarls.

Usagi jumps out of the way, adrenaline fueling her movements now. She can't stop moving if she doesn't want to get hit again. Her and Luna end up split in all the chaos, but when Luna calls out to her she makes her way over. "Sailor Moon, here! Your tiara!"

She hadn't caught it earlier after throwing it, but Luna must've picked it up because it's sitting right beside the cat. Usagi rushes towards the cat, dodging yet another blast and sliding on her knees – and scraping them further – to a stop beside her companion. She doesn't hesitate. "Moon Tiara Action!" This time she can clearly see the monster charging towards her and her throw strikes true. It cuts right through her chest, splitting her into two pieces that quickly disintegrate.

She catches the tiara when it returns to her, but doesn't put it back on her head. Jadeite stands across the roof from her – when did he get there? – calmly watching her. "Your turn now," she says.

He smirks. "You wish to fight me?"

"Moon Tiara Action!" she snaps, flinging her tiara with as much force as she can muster. He raises an arm, an intense look of concentration on his face, and Usagi watches in horror as the tiara comes to a halt, dropping right to the ground. "No way!" she gasps, her eyes wide as she gapes at him. The smug expression has not left his face.

"Bastard!" She charges forward, jumping into the air to come down on him with an overhead kick. About a foot before she hits him, though, he raises a hand and Usagi's leg smacks down on some invisible force field. It throws off her balance and she falters in her landing, her ankle twisting horribly when she lands on it wrong. She falls to her rear just before Jadeite and tries to keep the fear from her expression as she looks up at him.

He stalks forward, that damn expression still in place, and Usagi scrambles back but he's too quick for her to keep up with. Just as he's nearly upon her, a single rose lands before him, stopping him in place as he looks at it curiously. Her breath catches at the interruption. "And what's this?" he asks, cocking his head to the side. His gaze sweeps the roof, catching on something to their side.

Usagi looks over, and she can't help but grin when she spots a familiar figure. "Tuxedo Mask," she mutters. The moon right behind him shrouds his features in shadow, but she'd recognize that silhouette anywhere. Besides, who else runs around fighting monsters in a full tuxedo?

"Two against one," Jadeite remarks, drawing Usagi's attention again. She watches him warily for his next move, but he doesn't seem aggressive anymore. In fact, a moment later he jumps back, his form flickering slightly before vanishing and reappearing high above the roof next to a spinning black portal. He's looking right at her when he does, and they maintain eye contact until he vanishes.

Usagi lets out a sigh of relief, thankful it's finally over. Then she turns to look at Tuxedo Mask, but by then the figure is gone as well. 'Damn, and I wanted to finally talk to him,' she thinks. She can't mope for too long, though, before Luna is bounding up to her.

"Sailor Moon!" the cat exclaims. "Are you alright?" she asks, casting worried glances over her body. She's far more roughed up than the last two times she'd fought a monster. Both her left shoulder and pieces of the uniform covering her stomach are shredded, and she can see nasty-looking bruises forming on her torso. Her ankle is also throbbing, though she's not sure if it's broken or simply sprained. "Can you move?" Luna asks when Usagi doesn't reply.

She tries standing, all her aches returning now that her adrenaline is fading. She can't put much weight on her left leg, so there's no chance she'll be leaping over the rooftops to get home tonight. "Barely," she mutters in response.

"We'll take it slow," Luna promises. "When we get back to your room I'll teach you how to properly wrap it."

"I can't go to the hospital?" she pouts, slowly hobbling towards the rooftop stairs. There's not a chance in hell she's going through that hole in the roof, though it would be quicker.

"Of course not, Sailor Moon," Luna scolds. "What would you tell them?"

"I'd make something up. I'm clumsy enough."

"And your parents, when they're notified you're in the ER?"

Usagi hesitates just a moment. "They probably wouldn't notice, or care for that matter," she mutters a moment later.

"But Miharu-san would, and do you really want to deal with that fuss?" Luna continues.

"Fine," Usagi mumbles, giving in and resigning herself to a slow and painful walk.

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Usagi is still limping the next day, but with her ankle wrapped – it took her nearly an hour's work under Luna's instruction to get it wrapped properly – and her little cuts nearly healed she's just fine to go to school. She's somewhat pleased to hear both Sakurada-sensei and Osaka-san awoke from their deep slumbers the night previous, and should be back sometime later that week. She still envies them, though. 'All that time sleeping sounds wonderful,' she thinks, and can only hope Jadeite has nothing immediately planned so she can get a bit of a break to heal.

It's a little concerning to know that these monsters she's facing have a master, and a powerful one at that. If she wants to stand any chance against Jadeite the next time she sees him she's going to have to get stronger, or who knows what might happen. This last time it was just her ankle, but the next time…it's a scary thought for Usagi to contemplate, but it just makes this whole thing all the more real.

Usagi knows she's going to have to start taking this more seriously, if she doesn't want to die. Last night was a wake-up call, and it isn't one she plans to ignore.


	4. Slim City

_Tsukino Usagi_

When she overhears her classmates talking about a new gym that opened up in town, Usagi thinks it's the perfect way to start preparing for fights to come. Of course, with her ankle sprained she can't get started immediately, so she files the thought away for when she's healed.

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It's nearly a week before her ankle starts feeling better and she can walk without any pain from it. Luckily enough for her no monsters appear around town in the meantime. Luna keeps a diligent eye on…something, Usagi assumes. She honestly has no idea how Luna does whatever it is she does, or what it is she does in the first place, but she isn't going to ask the cat. She has enough on her plate just fighting these monsters.

And speaking of fighting, Usagi remembers that she needs to start training. The day Luna finally lets her take off the wrap on her ankle she heads to the gym she remembered her classmates talking about after school. It's a large, imposing building but Usagi hesitates for only a second before going in. She needs this training, after all; she doesn't want to die.

She registers for a – free! – membership and tells the nice reception lady that she wants self-defense training, which gets her assigned to a specific trainer. She's instructed to head to the changing rooms before making her way to the main gym to meet him, which she happily does. 'If only Luna could see me now,' she thinks. 'She'd be proud I'm taking such an initiative towards my training.'

Usagi changes into her leggings and t-shirt and heads to what is hopefully the main gym. When she arrives, she's surprised to recognize some of her classmates. She pauses in the doorway, but it's enough to catch Osaka's attention and she stops pedaling the bike she's on in surprise. "Oh, Tsukino-san! I didn't know you went here," she says brightly. Her tone starkly contrasts her appearance. She looks pale, with the bones of her face standing out a little sharper than Usagi remembers.

"Umm, well, I just started," she finally replies. "But I could say the same for you guys."

Osaka chuckles. "Yeah, we've been coming for a couple of days. It's pretty intense, but the results are –"

"Hey!" a sharp voice cuts her off. "Get back to pedaling if you want to lose weight!"

"Yes sir!" Osaka replies, immediately disregarding Usagi to start pedaling furiously. Usagi is almost taken aback by the girl's intense expression.

Then a heavy hand lands on her shoulder, startling her so she lets out a small squeak. She looks over and up to see a very buff guy standing next to her. "You must be my new client," he says, and Usagi nods. She doesn't remember the name the lady gave her but she's too intimidated to tell him no. He gives her a once-over that makes her feel mildly self-conscious. "We'll start with strength building," he finally says. Then he puts her to work.

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Two hours later she's finally free from the most intense workout of her life. Usagi can't even count the number of machines he put her on, but damn is she sore. He sends her off with instructions to head to the "relaxation pods," whatever those are, but Usagi is dead set on that spa she noticed on the way to the gym. When she finally gets to sink into the hot bath she feels like she could sleep it's so relaxing. She doesn't, because that would be dangerous, but she could.

Oddly enough, she doesn't see any of the other girls. They all finished not long before she did, but the spa is empty save for herself. 'Perhaps they went to those relaxation pods,' she muses. She could ask Osaka-san what they're like, maybe.

She leaves before she gets pruny, and by then evening is fast approaching. She spares a regretful glance for the closed Game Center when she passes by on her walk home. When she arrives Miharu-san calls out a greeting, and Usagi heads over to the woman. A healthier diet would be a great supplement to her workout, she thinks, prepared to ask.

"Oh, Usagi-chan!" Miharu gasps when she sees her. "You look exhausted!" she says, rushing over to her. She fusses for a second, clearly concerned, before Usagi can reassure her.

"A little, but I'm fine," she admits. "I started going to the gym today, is all."

"The gym?" she asks, surprised. "What for? You're such a skinny little thing."

Usagi nods. "I know, but I want to be able to defend myself. My trainer just has me lifting weights because I'm so weak." Well, compared to him and most people. But for her age range and weight she's apparently above average. Who knew?

"Ah," Miharu-san says, looking appeased. She heads back to the stove to continue her cooking. "That's good then. It's dangerous out there for pretty young ladies like yourself."

"Right," Usagi agrees. 'If only you knew the truth,' she adds mentally. "Actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" she asks.

"Of course, what is it?" Miharu-san readily agrees.

For a moment Usagi wishes it was her real mother supporting her, doing favors like this for her. But with Miharu-san looking expectantly at her she shakes away the thought to ask, "Could you maybe cook some healthier meals? Less fat, more protein, that kind of thing?"

Miharu blinks, a thoughtful expression forming on her face. "Well, I can certainly try. Is it for your exercise?" Usagi nods. "Okay then, sweetie. I'll do my best for you!" she says with a smile.

Usagi returns it with one of her own. "Thank you, Miharu-san." Then she leaves the woman to finish dinner and heads up to her room, though she runs into Luna in the hallway.

"What's this I heard about exercise?" she asks once they're in Usagi's room.

Usagi shrugs. "Nothing, I just joined a gym. I thought it would be good for me to learn to fight, after what happened with Jadeite last time," she says, watching Luna for her reaction.

The cat seems pleased, and Usagi feels accomplished. "Yes, I think that's a good idea. I can't really help you with this kind of thing, so it's for the best you went elsewhere."

"I thought so," Usagi says smugly, flopping back on her bed with a yawn. "Man am I exhausted though. Luna, wake me when dinner's ready."

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Usagi's plan is to go to the gym every day but Sunday, to give herself some time to rest. She's got a lot to make up for. Her trainer – whose name she still doesn't remember – wholeheartedly agrees with her plan and makes sure to maximize every minute they're together. Every other day she's in the gym on machines to increase her strength, and on the days in between they go to a studio where her trainer teaches her some basic karate.

It's exhausting work, training day after day, but Luna never lets her slack a bit. Though Usagi will admit, if it weren't for the cat watching her like a hawk at home Usagi would've started slacking on her homework, regardless of the perfectly average grades she's trying to achieve. As it is, she's pretty sure her grades are improving as she spends less time in the evening trying to figure out what to answer right and wrong and more time focusing on just trying to get it completed quickly so she can rest.. The nice spa makes up for some of her suffering, but not much. Still, Usagi does think it's doing her some good.

Osaka-san, on the other hand, isn't looking all that great, Usagi's noticed. Neither is Sakurada-sensei, who Usagi saw around the gym a couple of days ago. Both of them look like husks of their former selves. They're thin and pale, and their faces look far too gaunt to be healthy. Some of the other girls at the gym are looking a bit worse for wear as well, but not nearly to the extent of Osaka and Sakurada. She briefly wonders if it has anything to do with the gym, but that can't be right. After all, she goes there and isn't doing any worse – not counting her sore muscles.

She mentions this to Luna one day when the cat joins her for lunch and happens to notice her ghastly homeroom teacher in the hall. "This is definitely suspicious," Luna decides, "though I will say it's odd you aren't like that either."

"Maybe we have different workouts," Usagi suggests.

"Perhaps," Luna says amicably. "I don't want you going to the gym today. I'm going to investigate."

Usagi pouts. "But it's karate day, and I think I've got the hang of this new kick."

"No, Usagi-chan, take a break. I'd say after all this time you've earned one," Luna tells her with a smile. "I'm glad to see you're so dedicated to your training, so I'll allow it this one time. I honestly thought you would have given it up by now."

She gapes, taking minor offense to the cat's words, but she knows herself well enough to admit it's not a bad assumption to make. Still, somehow Usagi can't find it in her to argue any further. A break does sound really nice. "Okay," she agrees.

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'It's odd,' Usagi thinks, not heading straight for the gym once school lets out. Her feet automatically carry her to the shopping district, but she has to consciously tell herself to walk past the gym. So she heads for the arcade instead. It's been far too long since she last visited.

"Motoki-oniisan!" she calls out after entering, spotting the older boy behind the counter. He brightens when he sees her.

"Usagi-chan! Long time no see," he says, walking out to greet her. "Where have you been all this time? I was worried."

She flushes at his words. "Oh, no, I've been fine. I actually…started going to the gym after school," she admits.

Motoki falters. "The gym? But why? You're plenty beautiful as you are now, Usagi-chan; you don't need to get any thinner."

Usagi frowns, the happiness from being called beautiful overshadowed by her annoyance. "I'm not doing it to get skinny," she snaps. "Why does everyone think that? There are plenty of other reasons for going to the gym, you know." She turns away in a huff, oddly disappointed with her friend. She nearly walks away, but a hand grabbing her wrist stops her.

"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan," Motoki says, and the genuine regret she hears makes her turn back. "I shouldn't have assumed, but I know a lot of girls your age are self-conscious about this kind of thing and I was worried."

In the face of his sincere apology Usagi can't stay upset with him. "Stupid Motoki-oniisan," she chides, though the smile growing on her face takes all the heat away. "You shouldn't ever assume I'm anything like the rest of the girls my age. I thought you knew better than that."

Motoki chuckles, rubbing a sheepish hand through his hair. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking, Usagi-chan," he says. "But I'm glad you're back."

She smiles brightly. "Me too! Gotta make sure no one's topped my high score on the Sailor V game, after all."

"Yeah, yeah, well I'll let you get to it," he says. Usagi nods in agreement and then they split, Motoki heading back to the counter while she goes to sit at her favorite Sailor V console.

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She stays at the arcade for three or so hours, about the same amount of time she'd have spent at the gym, before leaving with a parting wave to Motoki-oniisan and heading home. On the way she spots a dumpling stand and decides to buy some as a snack. Luna had said to take a break, and she missed this kind of thing. Miharu-san had taken her request to heart and had been cooking a lot healthier – to her brother's consternation – but sometimes Usagi just wants to indulge.

She munches quite happily on her snack, not a care in the world, until she runs her shoulder into someone with a curse. "What gives?" she snaps, barely managing to keep from accidentally inhaling her food. Then she pauses and groans when she recognizes the person – in a tux, of all things, the weirdo – in front of her. "Ugh, why is it always you?" she growls.

"Maybe if you watched where you were going we wouldn't have this problem, Bun-Head," he retorts, though Usagi can't tell if he's amused or annoyed. "Hey, isn't it cannibalism for a bun-head to eat pork buns?" he asks when he notices what she's holding.

"Leave me alone!" she snaps in response.

He doesn't seem to hear her – or rather, deliberately ignores her – and continues his teasing. "You know you'll get fat if you eat too many. You'll turn into a pork bun," he chuckles.

Usagi's lips purse with barely restrained anger. "For your information, I work out. There will be no pork bun transformation in my future, thank you very much."

He raises an eyebrow behind those stupid sunglasses of his. "Yeah, I can see that," he says dubiously.

"You bet!" Usagi retorts, stomping off while taking an angry bite of her bun, only to find she's lost her appetite. She groans and throws the rest of them away in the nearest trash can, thoroughly annoyed for the rest of her walk home.

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She's doing homework in her room when Luna finally joins her an hour later. There's a serious expression on her face and Usagi immediately knows whatever she has to say isn't going to be good. "So?" she prompts.

"There is definitely something going on in that gym," she begins.

"Aww, damn. I really liked that place," Usagi pouts.

"Usagi-chan, be serious!" Luna scolds. "I think they're stealing energy."

"Jadeite?" Usagi asks, all humor drained of her.

Luna nods. "I can't be certain because I didn't get a good look at his face, but I think so. He's disguised as one of the trainers, and was talking about this relaxation pod. I saw him with your teacher and followed them to the basement where she got into this odd contraption, and when she got out she looked even worse!"

"That must be it, then. Why I haven't been affected. I've never been in those relaxation pods; I always go to the spa when I'm done," Usagi says.

"I suppose that's a good thing," Luna agrees. "We'll need Sailor Moon at her strongest. I didn't sense any monsters, but those trainers are under his possession and they'll be tough to beat."

Usagi grimaces, recalling her last karate session with her trainer. "Yeah…"

"There's no one there right now or I'd say we go tonight," Luna continues as if she'd never said anything. "We'll go first thing tomorrow, instead, right after it opens so there will be no civilians to get in the way."

"What?" Usagi gasps. "Do you know how early that is? I can't."

"You can and you will, Usagi-chan. Especially if you want to get to school on time." Her head thumps down on the table with a groan. "Best get to sleep early, I think," Luna says, clearly ignoring her. With one final glare at the cat, Usagi does as she suggests. There's no compromising with Luna when she gets like this.

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Luna roughly wakes her at 04:45 and Usagi nearly cries when she sees the sky is still dark. The cat gives her no chance to go back to sleep and has her out of bed and transformed in record time. It's chilly outside as they run to the gym, which helps wake Usagi up but doesn't stop her from grumbling the whole way.

It's just after 5 when they get to the gym, and the front doors are unlocked. They easily sneak in with no one at the front desk to stop them. "Come on, Sailor Moon," Luna instructs. "We'll head straight for the basement." Usagi nods and follows dutifully behind her companion.

They don't encounter anyone until they get to the basement and there's a figure that Usagi has dreaded seeing again standing before the relaxation pods. "Jadeite," she growls, 100% awake and focused now.

He turns around and doesn't seem surprised to see her. "Sailor Moon," he greets. "I was wondering when you'd show up. Awfully slow this time, weren't you?"

She grits her teeth. "It doesn't matter because I'm here now. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you for stealing these girls' energy!"

"Will you now?" he grins, raising a hand to gesture. From the shadows step the three trainers, their gazes intent on her. "You'll have to go through them first. Careful though, they're only human."

They rush towards her and Usagi is forced to dodge, thanking her lucky stars she's lighter and smaller than them. She'll be screwed if they catch her, so she can only hope to keep evading them.

"Sailor Moon!" Luna shouts, half drawing her attention from the trio. "Use your tiara to knock off their circlets. It's what keeps them under his control."

"'Kay!" she shouts back before dodging another blow. She quickly grabs for her tiara, throwing it at the one closest to her. It slices just past his head, knocking the circlet off with only a minor scratch. The trainer falls hard to the ground. Usagi is pleased for a moment, and then realizes her tiara never came back.

She quickly scans the room, but in her distraction takes a kick to the side that she swears breaks her ribs. She struggles for air behind the relaxation pods where she was thrown, but a glint to the side catches her attention and she lunges for her tiara. She'll have to be more careful with her throws this time if she doesn't want to lose it again, and she can't risk Moon Tiara Action hurting them.

The two gang up on her, blocking off all paths of escape. She has no choice now. She throws it at the first, hearing it clang on the tank behind him before ricocheting off to hit the other. They fall and Usagi barely manages to roll away though her ribs scream in protest.

She picks up her tiara and stands as quickly as she can manage, facing Jadeite. He doesn't look pleased that she's defeated his goons. "Going to challenge me again, Sailor Moon? We both know how that went last time," he taunts.

Usagi's eyes narrow. "Maybe," she retorts. "Moon Tiara Action!" She throws her tiara again and Jadeite raises an arm to intercept it, only her tiara goes swerving to the side as it misses him completely.

"Ha!" he gloats. "You missed me –" He cuts off as the tiara comes back around and strikes at the orb connecting all the relaxation pods. Usagi had noticed it earlier and gambled on it being something integral to the system. Apparently she was right.

"I don't think so," she says with a smirk.

"You –" Jadeite starts, but then halts as something else seems to draw his attention. He growls one more time before disappearing.

Usagi blinks, stunned by his abrupt departure. "Sailor Moon, are you okay?" Luna says, running up to her.

"I'm tired and I hurt, Luna, what do you think?" she retorts.

The cat shakes her head in exasperation. "Come on, let's get back. There's still some time before classes start. We can take a look at your chest."

"Ugh," Usagi groans. "I just want to sleep."

"Usagi-chan," Luna chides. "We need to go before they wake." As she speaks, Usagi can hear groans and knows it won't be long now.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." They quickly head out, keeping to the back alleys as the city starts to wake and people fill the sidewalks. Usagi hurts too much to get to the roofs, leaving this their only option. They sneak back inside, and the quiet of the house reassures Usagi no one noticed her sneaking out.

She drops the transformation and flops back on her bed with a pained groan. "One of your ribs might be broken. We need to wrap it," Luna says.

"In a bit," Usagi waves her off. "I'm going to take a small nap. That was exhausting."

"Usagi-chan!" Luna scolds, but it falls on deaf ears as Usagi falls asleep immediately.


	5. Chanela Love

_Tsukino Usagi_

"Usagi!"

She jolts awake, the remnants of her dream disappearing as she quickly wakes up. It's her brother's voice and Usagi jumps out of bed to rush to his room, her heart pounding in confusion and concern. She slams the door open, expecting an intruder at the very least, but all she sees is Shingo and Luna, who's curled up at the end of his bed. "What is it?" she asks, starting to calm. Now that her focus has faltered she can feel her ribs protesting the quick movement and grimaces.

"Get your stupid cat out of my room!" he demands, shielding himself with his blanket at the head of his bed.

Usagi raises a dubious eyebrow at Luna, who looks confused. She was probably startled awake as well. "Relax, Luna's harmless. She won't hurt you," she tries to reassure her brother.

Luna takes this as her cue to try approaching Shingo. She does so with a tiny meow, trying to look as cute and harmless as possible. It's very believable, but Usagi knows the truth. Shingo doesn't buy it, though, and throws his pillow at her. She quickly dodges, hopping off the bed to stand between Usagi's feet.

Usagi gives her younger brother a disappointed look. "You need to get over your fear of cats. Not all of them are going to try to hurt you," she tells him, quickly losing patience.

"I don't need to do anything," he retorts. "Now grab that thing and get out of my room!"

Usagi rolls her eyes and leaves to go back to her own room, Luna trailing behind. "Don't mind him," she tells the cat once they're behind her closed door. She starts getting ready for school as she talks. "A cat bit him on the nose when he was a baby. He's hated them ever since. Really freaks out, in case you couldn't tell."

"Ah," Luna says thoughtfully. "I'll do my best to avoid him, then. I hadn't meant to sleep in his room; I must've mistaken it for yours."

Usagi snorts. "Don't bother. He needs to get over it anyways."

She heads down for breakfast, hesitating only a moment in the dining room entryway. Both of her parents are already seated, a rare occurrence in the Tsukino household, what with her father's job and her mother's "hobbies." "Father, Mother," she politely greets them as she takes her seat. Miharu-san has already laid out breakfast so Usagi grabs some eggs and toast. She's not normally one to eat breakfast before school, but with both of her parents present it'll be expected of her.

Shingo joins them not two minutes later, his face twisting in a grimace when he sees Usagi. She rolls her eyes but doesn't comment. "Dad, Mom," he says, sitting down. "Did you know Usagi is keeping a cat in her room? Make her get rid of it."

Her father barely looks up from his newspaper. "As long as it doesn't make a mess it's fine."

"She won't," Usagi chirps, smirking at her little brother.

But he isn't done. "But Dad," he starts to whine, "you know I hate cats. I don't want it here."

"Usagi-chan, keep the cat in your room so it won't bother your brother," her mother says.

Usagi sighs. "She's a cat, Mother. She'll find a way out. Shingo needs to get over his fear of cats, anyways. He's already 11."

"That's right, son," her father agrees. "You're too old to be afraid of cats now. You're not going to be able to avoid them for the rest of your life."

"Kenji, he's just a child," her mother scolds.

Her father finally looks up from the paper to regard her mother with a look. He doesn't look pleased. "Ikuko, he's almost a teenager, and he needs to get over it. He won't be a child forever, after all."

She sighs. "Yes, dear." Then she turns to Shingo. "I'm sorry, love, but you'll have to get used to Usagi's cat. End of discussion."

"That's not fair!" her brother whines, standing roughly from his chair so it screeches along the dining room floor. "Stupid Usagi!"

Usagi doesn't even bother to look up when he runs out of the room. "Oh, is he not going to finish breakfast?" Miharu-san asks, coming in to clean up his plate. "And he left his lunch."

"Serves him right for being a brat," Usagi says, standing much more calmly. "Thank you for breakfast. Goodbye, Father, Mother. I'm off to school."

"Goodbye, dear," her mother replies. Her father doesn't say a word as she leaves.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Usagi is in her room doing homework - trying to balance out her previous scores - when Shingo suddenly opens the door to her room. Usagi looks up, confused, to see her brother standing in the doorway. In his hands is some fluffy, tiny little creature with beady red eyes. She raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"This is my chanela," he says monotonously, holding it out. "It is the only pet we need, so get rid of your stupid cat." Then he slams the door with his departure.

"What?" Usagi remarks a moment later.

"I'm…not sure," Luna replies. "Did you see that thing he was holding?"

"Yeah but I have no idea what it was." Usagi turns back to her homework, her brother's odd behavior unimportant compared to her English assignment. "That was weird."

"Yes, it was."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It gets even weirder the next day. For one, her brother doesn't bother to leave his room that morning. "I don't think he's feeling very well," Miharu-san says when Usagi makes a comment about it. She shrugs it off, figuring it's just her brother being a spoiled brat again.

But then she gets to school. Half of the students are clustered around desks looking at something. Usagi manages to catch a glimpse of one of them when she walks by, and there's more of those things her brother had yesterday. All the girls are cooing over them, but Usagi can't see the appeal. They look like tiny, hairy rabbits, but their beady red eyes kind of freak her out. They keep them out until Sakurada-sensei walks into the room, and then they have to scramble to hide them all. Usagi is pretty sure pets are against school policy.

They get about ten minutes into class, though, before one of the girls snaps, interrupting class. "I can't take it anymore!" she bursts out, surprising everyone, who turn to look at her. "I have to see my chanela!" She pulls the thing back out of her desk, and then the rest of the girls take that as their cue to do the same. There's a flurry of movement from the students before they start cooing over their stupid pets again.

Sakurada seems momentarily stunned before annoyance crosses her face. She storms over to the first girl who interrupted. "You need to put that thing away. Class has started," she tells her.

"No way! My chanela is too pretty not to look at," the girl complains, cuddling the thing closer to herself.

"I don't care!" Sakurada snaps. "Put it away, or I'm going to have to confiscate it." The girl shakes her head in the negative, so Sakurada reaches out to grab it. She doesn't get even get close before the girl is lashing out, pushing her away. The class gasps as Sakurada stumbles back, one of her heels landing wrong and sending her crashing into the desk behind her. There's a massive clatter as the desks are knocked over. Sakurada lays amongst it, and she doesn't appear to be moving.

"Someone call for the nurse!" Umino calls out. Usagi sees one of the girls near the door rush out into the hallway.

"I don't care. I'm leaving," the girl who pushed her stands, her chanela thing clutched in her hands. She's got her nose upturned, sneering down at the rest of them. The rest of the students with those pets stand as well, agreeing with the first. They all walk out under the class's stunned gazes.

"Wh-wait!" Osaka calls to them. They ignore her completely. "What's going on?" she asks.

"I've heard they're the new fad among younger students," Umino pops up. Seeing he has most of the class's attention, he continues. "Apparently they smell really nice, and you don't have to feed them at all or pick up their waste. They're supposedly the perfect pet."

"They're weird looking things, if you ask me," Usagi mutters, though Umino seems to hear it anyways.

"Yeah, Tsukino-san, I agree with that," he says. "That's the only reason I haven't gotten one. They kinda freak me out."

Class is derailed until they get a substitute to come in after Sakurada-sensei is taken to the nurse's. Usagi can't focus, though. This is the second time in as many days that those chanela things have popped up in her life. She thinks back to her brother earlier today, refusing to even leave his room to go to school. 'Perhaps it's more than just a boy's rebellion', she wonders.

After school lets out she automatically heads to the shopping district, still used to heading there straight after school even though she doesn't attend a gym anymore. 'Well, the arcade is always an option,' she figures, heading for her old haunt. It's pure coincidence that she happens to notice a new store on the way, and in its windows are cages with those chanela pets. Usagi pauses, curious. 'Are they really like Umino said?' she wonders.

"Why do you keep popping up everywhere I go?" a voice beside her says, drawing Usagi's attention.

She looks over and sighs in annoyance at the guy standing next to her. "I could say the same thing about you," she retorts. "At least we didn't run into each other," she mutters.

"Small mercies," he agrees. "You're not planning to buy one of these too, are you? I never took you for the kind of girl to follow fads, but guess I was wrong."

"I am not!" she snaps. "Besides, what I do isn't any of your business so butt out of it!" She doesn't give him time to respond before storming into the store.

Usagi is surprised to find it pretty packed. There are tons of small children with their parents all looking at the pets lined up in boxes on the sides of the store. It's almost overwhelming, and there's this smell in the air that makes it a bit stuffy. "Can I help you?" Usagi jumps when someone else speaks up beside her. She barely resists glaring at the woman, who's probably just doing her job, but if people could stop sneaking up to talk to her she'd really appreciate it.

"Umm, maybe?" Usagi replies. "I was just curious about the pets you've got here."

"Well," she says, launching into her sales pitch, "we've got a wide selection of animals to choose from, but our most popular pets are the chanela." She gestures to the displays beside them. "They're the perfect pet, you know. You don't have to feed them, they don't make any waste, and best of all, they smell divine."

"Ah, really?" she remarks, feigning interest.

"Of course! Feel free to take a look," she says encouragingly. "I'm sure you'll find a chanela just as beautiful as you."

"Sure, right, yeah. I'll just…start looking around."

"Okay! Let me know if you need anything," the woman says, smiling brightly.

Usagi manages to nod before walking away under the woman's watchful gaze. She drifts to some random shelves and barely manages to suppress a flinch as the chanela stare back at her. They do smell…pretty nice, but it's a little off-putting to be coming from such a small animal. She happens to catch the eye of one of them, and something about it draws her closer. They do look sort of cute, she supposes. 'I wonder if it's as soft as it looks,' she thinks, reaching out a hand to open the class.

As soon as her hand touches the case she jumps back, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. She frowns in concern, eyeing the chanela in the case. For a second there, it almost seemed like she'd been entranced by the thing. 'I had better get out of here,' she thinks, turning around and heading right out of the store.

When she gets home she heads straight for her brother's room. He doesn't seemed to have moved, still slumped over his desk looking at that stupid animal like he probably was this morning. "Shingo!" she snaps, but it doesn't grab his attention. She stomps over and jerks at his shoulder, drawing an annoyed sound from her little brother.

"Leave me alone, stupid Usagi!" he growls, yanking his arm out of her grip and returning to the chanela on his desk.

"That thing isn't good for you!" she retorts. "You need to get rid of it."

"No! I won't!"

"It's dangerous!"

"No!" He lashes out, catching Usagi in the chest with enough force to push her back. She missteps and falls into the wall, knocking her head pretty roughly.

"Usagi-chan!" Luna hisses, creeping into the room. She shoots a quick glance at her brother, but he isn't paying attention. "There's no point in arguing with him," she whispers urgently. "We need to get rid of these pests at the source."

"Right," Usagi agrees, standing. They quickly head to her room so she can transform. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!" As soon as her transformation is complete they're off, jumping from her room to head into the city. This time Usagi leads the way to the store, Luna hot on her heels.

It's closed when they arrive, but Usagi doesn't hesitate when entering. The shop is empty, save for the single saleswoman from earlier. "Hey, you!" she shouts, drawing her attention. "These animals of yours may sound like the perfect pet, but they're dangerous and I'm here to put a stop to it! In the name of the Moon, I, Sailor Moon, will punish you!"

She gives Usagi an odd look, snarling, "I don't know who you are and I don't care, but I won't let you interfere!" Then she transforms, her skin turning purple and leathery as scales break out over her skin and she grows a tail. Usagi braces for an attack, dodging to the side as the monster's tail comes lashing at where she'd previously stood.

She tries to hide behind the shelves, but the monster seems to have no compunctions about knocking over the cases of her precious pets. Now Usagi is forced to dodge the powerful tail as well as falling glass cases, but those training sessions of hers at the gym are paying off. She's far more agile than she was before, and by dodging she manages to get close enough to the monster to land a blow on her stomach. It doesn't do much good, though, as the monster's stomach is tougher than the rest of her skin, and the monster backhands Usagi into the other set of shelves on the opposite side of the room.

"Sailor Moon," Luna hisses from nearby.

"Yeah," Usagi replies, though she's starting to develop a headache. "What am I supposed to do? I don't think I can hit her."

"Your tiara, Sailor Moon."

"Oh, right," she mutters, getting up quickly. "Moon Tiara Action!" It catches the lizard monster in the chest as it tries to approach, but to her dismay the tiara is about as effective as her punch was earlier. Usagi quickly catches her tiara's rebound and dodges out of the way of an enraged attack from the monster. "Luna!" she snaps, hoping the cat just saw what happened. She's running out of places to run and things to try. None of her attacks are breaking through the monster's skin, and that's getting to be a problem for her. Not to mention, she's running out of space to escape with all of the glass cages knocked over and scattered about the place.

"Sailor Moon, over here!" she hears Luna call and immediately heads for the voice. The cat is deeper in the store, standing near a door. Usagi crashes through it, taking the stairs two at a time up the floors. There must be at least five or six because she's almost out of breath by the time she reaches the top. "Good, this will give us a moment to regroup," Luna says once they're on the roof. "We need to find her weak point. Try aiming for her joints like the backs of her knees or her armpits, Sailor Moon."

"Sure, I can try," she replies as they hear crashes behind them. She moves out further onto the roof and faces the doorway, removing her tiara and taking a defensive position. When the monster appears she'll be ready. "Moon...Tiara…" she begins as the crashing gets louder. Cracks appear in the concrete in front of her, and then moments later the monster is bursting through the floor instead of the door. "…Action!" she finishes, throwing it.

She aims for the monster's knees, but it grazes the side instead of hitting the back and the monster barely hisses in pain. Usagi grits her teeth in annoyance and focuses on the tiara, trying to ignore the monster charging towards her, and mentally redirects the tiara to hit the monster's back. She can't quite aim properly so it hits the thing's tail instead of her knees, but it still seems to do something as the monster scream's in actual pain.

"Again, Sailor Moon!" Luna shouts, and Usagi does her best to direct her tiara back around for a second attack. The monster screeches and tries to lash her tail out at Usagi, but she manages to block the hit with her arm – more payoff from her karate lessons – and the hit is weak enough that she isn't too hurt. In the monster's surprise at being blocked, her tiara has a clean shot at the rest of its tail and slices it off entirely.

The monster screams, writhing in pain as it starts to disintegrate into dust on the rooftop. Usagi watches it while feeling satisfied. The battle had started out a little rocky, but she was glad she had been able to put some of her training to use. "Come on, let's go check on those pet things and get rid of them," Usagi tells Luna. The cat nods in agreement and they make their way back downstairs to the ground floor.

Usagi is half surprised to see all the glass cages are empty, save for tiny piles of dust. "They must have vanished with the monster when you defeated it," Luna surmises.

"Good riddance," Usagi mutters. "Hopefully Shingo is back to his normal self now."

"Let's go see."

Usagi and Luna quickly make their way back home, sneaking in the same way they left. She drops her transformation in her room before heading over to Shingo's. She gently opens the door a crack, trying to peek in to see her brother. When she doesn't spot him at his desk she opens it fully, but the room is empty. Her and Luna share a look before she heads downstairs.

"Oh, Usagi-chan," Miharu-san calls out once she sees her in the dining room. "Dinner is ready. I was just about to call for you." She takes a seat at the table, trying to act calm despite the bit of adrenaline still flowing through her veins. She needs to know if Shingo is free of the monster's effect. Her parents are missing, but her brother is present and more alert than she's seen him since this whole pet thing started.

"So, Shingo, how are you feeling?" she hesitantly begins.

He gives her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

She shrugs. "Well, you didn't go to class today, so I figured you were sick or something."

"Oh," he remarks, his brow furrowing as he tries to think back. "Yeah…I guess so. I feel fine now."

"Okay," she replies, sharing a look with Luna in the dining room entryway. The cat nods before disappearing. 'I guess everything has resolved itself then,' she thinks, pleased.


	6. Melody of Love

_Tsukino Usagi_

For once, she gets almost two whole weeks free of any monster activity. It's peaceful, though Luna often hounds her to stay alert in case anything were to happen. She understands the first couple of days, but after that it just gets annoying and she takes to hiding out in the shopping district in order to avoid the cat. It's nice to be able to spend hours at the Game Center like she used to. Motoki-oniisan also seems to enjoy having her around as well, so that's always a bonus.

"Bye, Motoki-oniisan," she calls out on a Friday evening, having stayed out a little later than usual. It's pouring rain outside as well, and she'd hoped that by now it would have abated but apparently that isn't the case. She sighs as she opens her umbrella. 'I really hope this humidity won't frizz my hair,' she thinks, stepping out from under the awning.

She takes two steps before a figure is crashing into her, nearly knocking her off balance. "Watch where you're going," she snaps, assuming it's that boy again. She always has the worst luck running into him. "And this time it's definitely your fault."

"I'm sorry!" the man blurts. "I'm so so sorry please forgive me."

Usagi pauses, stunned by the words. She's never once heard him apologize before, and after she gets a good look at the figure in front of her she realizes it's not the same guy at all. She immediately feels sheepish for her earlier words. "Oh jeez, no I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. It's fine, I'm a clutz anyways," she blurts out. "Please, get up, the ground is wet. Here, you can share my umbrella."

He hesitates for a second before standing. It's a little awkward since Usagi is nearly a foot shorter than him, but the man doesn't complain. Usagi doubts it really makes much of a difference anyways since he's already pretty soaked. "Thank you," he says politely.

"Uh, sure, yeah, no problem," she replies. "Are you okay?" she asks, taking in his harried expression. He doesn't look too well, and given his reaction to bumping into her she's pretty curious.

He grimaces. "Not really," he admits. "I think I might be going insane."

Usagi blinks, taken aback by his frank reply. "Do you…want to talk about it? I can walk you wherever you need to go."

"Um, thanks, I'd appreciate that," he says, and then gestures in the direction he had been running. "I work at a club, you see. My shift starts in a little bit," he explains.

"That's cool, what do you do? I'm Tsukino Usagi, by the way," Usagi asks, intrigued.

"I'm a composer. My name's Amade Yusuke. You probably haven't heard of me, though. I usually work on classical pieces," he says. "N-not to say you don't look like the type to listen to classical music," he immediately continues, flushing slightly. "I didn't mean to offend. I just meant that I'm not a very popular composer yet."

"It's fine," Usagi waves him off, more amused than offended. He isn't wrong, either; she's definitely not a classical kind of girl. "Is it your job that's driving you insane?" she prompts, trying to lead the conversation back to why she'd originally offered to walk him in the first place.

"Oh, no," he says, a heavy look darkening his expression. "It's…hard to explain. I feel like I'm being followed, but every time I go to look there's no one around. But I swear I saw someone this last time," his voice grows intense as he recalls the encounter. "It was in the alley behind the recording office where I usually work, not too long ago actually. There was a woman there, I swear, and she had glowing red eyes. And there were bats, too. A lot of them. But when I tried to ask who she was she vanished with them."

Usagi doesn't know what to say. On one hand, it isn't the worst thing she's encountered lately, so for all she knows the guy is telling the truth, though why a monster would be after him in particular when they usually target multiple people at a time is a little odd. But then again, this could just be the imaginings of a guy who's worked too many late nights or something. He does look a little haggard, after all.

"I don't know," Usagi finally says. "It is weird, for sure. Why would a monster be targeting you, do you know?" she asks.

He digs into his pocket, pulling out a small cassette tape. "I think it's after this," he says, his voice hushed like he's telling her a secret. "I don't know why. It's a recording of my latest tape, as of yet unreleased."

Usagi's gaze narrows on the tape, though to her it doesn't appear odd in any way. But…there's something, a sort of unusual feeling she gets the longer she looks at it. She tries to focus on the sensation, but the sensation is gone as soon as he puts the tape back in his pocket. Usagi has to blink a couple of times before she realizes he's talking again.

"There must be something special about it," he says, a concerned expression on his face. Something about it tells Usagi he might know what that special thing is, but before she can really pry him for information he's stopping so suddenly he leaves the protection of her umbrella before she notices. "Anyways, this is my stop. Thanks, Tsukino-san, for walking with me and listening to my insane ramblings."

"Yeah, no problem," she replies, and with a backhand wave he's entering the club.

"Made a friend, have you?" a voice near the ground speaks up and Usagi jumps into the air with a startled squeal. She only barely manages to not trip on the wet sidewalk. Once she's regained her balance she glares down at the cat beside her, her eyes narrowing when she spots a cheeky grin.

"Luna," she growls, "when did you get here?" she asks.

"Not long after you passed the arcade," the cat replies. "I was coming to see what was taking you so long when I heard you talking to that man and I got curious. It's your fault for not noticing me."

Usagi makes a displeased noise, looking away. "His name's Amade Yusuke, and I wouldn't say he's a friend. Apparently he's being followed by a monster, and I was curious."

Luna looks towards the club, intrigued. "Yes, I'd heard about that. Do you think there's any truth to his story, Usagi-chan?" she asks.

"Hmm," Usagi mumbles, contemplating what she'd felt earlier. That she'd felt anything from the tape at all was beyond weird, but she was a Sailor Guardian, so she was far more in tune with evil in the world than the average human. Luna would probably have understood it more than her, but for a beginner it was certainly something. "I think so," she finally admits, drawing Luna's attention. She goes on to explain the tape and the feeling she'd gotten from it.

"That is unusual," Luna says once she's finished. "Though I'm surprised your intuition has developed enough to even sense that, given how recent your awakening as a Guardian was."

"Do you think it warrants an investigation?" Usagi asks, internally pleased.

Luna nods. "I should think so. We can start here."

She starts to walk forward, but pauses when Usagi tells her to stop. She gleefully points to a sign just outside the door. "'No pets allowed,'" she reads off of it.

"Wh –" Luna splutters. "I'm not going to let you go in yourself."

"Don't worry, Luna. I have an idea." She pulls the Disguise Pen out of her jacket's inner pocket, stashed there with her transformation brooch. "Moon Power! Change me into a hip new indie artist!" she shouts. When the warm feeling fades her comfy clothes are gone, replaced with a white lace halter top under a bright red leather jacket, a short black skirt and fishnet stockings with short black boots. The best part of her disguise, though, has to be the lime green hair she's now sporting. Usagi grins down at her cat. "How do I look?"

"Unrecognizable," Luna remarks, mildly dumbfounded. "But how do I factor into all of this?"

Usagi winks playfully and then picks her up, laying her over her right shoulder. "You're my stylish accessory," she replies. "Now don't move, you're supposed to be fake." Then she enters the club.

It's a fairly low-key place, dark enough to offer the illusion of privacy but lit enough that you aren't stumbling around trying to navigate the area. There are a couple of people around, and up on stage at the grand piano is Amade Yusuke himself, looking much more put together than he had been when he'd left Usagi. She quickly makes her way to a circular table in the back, settling down to watch. Just moments after she sits a waiter makes his appearance. "Can I get you anything to drink?" he asks, bowing politely.

"A glass of red wine, if you please," she says. "Whatever is fine."

"Coming right up, miss," he replies before walking away.

"Usagi," Luna hisses in her ear, "you can't drink. You're underage!"

"Shh, Luna," she retorts. "Fake animals don't talk. Besides, this isn't the first time I've had wine, and for all they know I am of age so I've got to act like it. I'll be fine, stop worrying."

She's probably saved from Luna's retort by the waiter's reappearance with the glass she asked for. She swirls the wine around the glass before raising it to her nose to take a whiff, and then takes a small sip. Usagi has no idea what she's supposed to be getting from this wine, but that's something she's seen her mother do when drinking wine and figures it's just what she's supposed to do. "This is good," she tells the waiter, who had hung around to hear her verdict. He nods and disappears.

Then she settles in to watch Amade's performance. It's not her usual kind of music, but it's not bad. Usagi wonders if it's his own compositions, or other pieces; she can't tell the difference. She still claps at the end of each piece when the rest of the crowd applauds.

After nearly an hour passes – and she's drunk about half of the wine, ignoring Luna's displeased growls each time she so much as touches the glass – Amade finally gets up from the piano to a louder applause before disappearing into the back. "I think that's our cue, Luna," Usagi mutters as she stands. She leaves what she hopes is enough money to cover the glass on the table before making her way over to the door where Amade disappeared. It's marked employee only, but a quick glance around shows the area clear so she slips inside.

She drops the disguise once they're in the back. The composer is nowhere to be seen so Usagi wanders further, peering into the unlocked rooms she finds. "Where could he have gone?" she wonders aloud to Luna. Then they heard the muffled sound of someone screaming and share a look.

"The stairs!" Luna shouts, darting forward with Usagi hot on her heels. They go down a couple of flights of stairs before it opens up to a parking garage half-underground. Usagi gasps as she spots Amade Yusuke a couple feet away, some sort of vampiric monster across the garage from him. "He was telling the truth," Luna mutters incredulously.

"Hey!" Usagi snaps, drawing it's attention. Fighting it will be an issue since she isn't Sailor Moon, and she can't transform in front of Amade, but she wasn't thinking before she spoke.

She's concerned for nothing. The monster takes one look at her, screeches, and then leaps back, using its wings to escape through the gaps in the wall.

Usagi blinks in surprise before turning to the man. "Are you okay?" she asks. He doesn't look injured, only spooked, and she can't blame him.

"She stole the tape," he replies, sounding defeated. "That was my waltz for Akiko, and she stole it."

"Uh," Usagi stutters, glancing down at Luna. "Well, we'll just have to follow it and get your tape back then, won't we?" she says. There's something about that tape, she's sure of it now, and if the monster has it then it can't be good. "I have no idea how we're going to do that, though," she admits quietly to Luna.

"The studio!" Amade speaks up suddenly, drawing their attention. "That's where I first saw her. Maybe she's gone back."

Usagi considers it before shrugging. "It's as good a guess as any, I suppose."

He gestures her forward. "Come on, I'll drive." She nods and dashes forward, nearly hesitating when he gets into a flashy red sports car that looks very expensive. "Come on," he urges her.

"Right," she mutters, climbing in with Luna.

As soon as she's got her seatbelt on Amade is peeling out of the garage and onto the road. She barely resists the urge to grab onto something. "So," she begins to distract herself from his intense driving, "what's so special about this waltz?"

"I wrote it just for Akiko," he replies a moment later. "She's…the producer working on this album with me."

"And you're in love with her," Usagi continues, filling in the blanks.

"Yeah," he quietly admits.

"And she doesn't know," Usagi guesses.

"Yeah."

"You're not going to tell her?" she asks.

"Well, I was," he admits. "I've named the song after her; it was supposed to be a surprise for when we finished the recording, but I missed my chance earlier today and then this happened."

"Ah, that's unfortunate."

"Yeah."

"Well," Usagi says, forcing enthusiasm, "once we get the tape back you can give it to her and properly confess."

"I suppose. If we get it back," he says glumly.

Usagi shakes her head in admonishment. "You can't be such a pessimist," she says. "It'll be fine and everything will work out. You're in love; you're supposed to be optimistic."

He makes a noise in response, though Usagi has no idea what it's supposed to mean. "We're here," he says instead of replying. She steps out of the car and looks up at the tall building. "Come on." He leads her inside and straight to an elevator, pressing a button for the 47th floor. Usagi swallows heavily at the height. "We'll check the recording studio first," he explains, and Usagi nods.

The exit the elevator to a quiet hall, and she follows as Amade heads to one of the studios. He glances inside the small window before quickly retreating. "She's inside," he whispers.

"Okay, so we need to come up with –" Usagi begins, and then halts when Amade completely disregards her to storm into the room, throwing the door wide with a shout. "Or not," she mutters. "Shit."

Luna is quicker than her when they enter the room. The woman – presumably the monster from before – is holding the tape in her hand and Luna immediately leaps for her, aiming for the face. The monster in disguise is startled enough into dropping it and Usagi lunges forward, scooping it up off the ground. She pauses when she sees another woman lying unconscious on the ground, but scrambles away when she hears a loud growl.

The monster tosses Luna away from her and Usagi is momentarily concerned until she sees the cat land on all four paws, unharmed. But her attention is drawn back to the monster as she reveals her true form, turning into the large vampire woman that had attacked them before.

"Time to go," she mutters to herself as she quickly darts out of the room. She doesn't quite make it, a heavy weight hitting her body and slamming her into the wall opposite the studio. Sharp nails cut at her shirt as the monster grabs for the tape, but Usagi quickly switches hands and tosses it to Luna further down the hall.

"Hey!" she shouts, drawing its attention from Usagi. "If you're looking for this, then I'm not sorry to disappoint." With a defiant glare she stomps down on the tape, shattering it to pieces.

"Noooooo!" the vampire screeches, the volume making Usagi wince and slump to the ground. Her wings flare out, narrowly missing her face, and then the monster is taking flight, making a hole right in the ceiling.

"Usagi, hurry and transform before we lose her!" Luna shouts.

Usagi groans but pulls out her brooch. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!" Warmth flows through her, marginally easing the pain in her back from the collision. "Alright, let's go," she says, leaping out of the hole behind the monster. She can just barely see it a couple of buildings away and quickly gives chase. She's a little apprehensive at first to be leaping off a 47 floor building, but once she gets into the pursuit she barely thinks about it, entirely focused on following her target.

The vampire eventually stops, landing in what appears to be a large arena. It's empty at this time of night, but there's still equipment set up from the day's performances. Usagi lands easily on the stage, Luna not far behind, with the vampire monster standing across the arena from her on the ledge separating the stands from the ground floor. They size each other up for a moment before Usagi speaks up. "I don't know what you were after with Amade Yusuke's composition, but it's over," she says. "And now, in the name of the Moon, I'm going to punish you!"

"You brat!" it screeches before letting out an ear splitting wail. If Usagi thought her earlier sound was bad, it had nothing on this. She drops to her knees, her hands futilely covering her ears in an attempt to lessen the attack. When it finally ends her ears are ringing and Usagi has trouble focusing. Her vision swims and she thinks she sees Luna in her peripheral, probably shouting something, but she can't hear a thing besides the ringing in her head.

She has to blink a couple of times to fix her vision, but when she looks back up the vampire is opening its mouth again and pain blossoms through her head again. She curls up again in agony, probably screaming her lungs out, and it feels like ages before the feeling stops. Or rather, lessens, she supposes. Every part of her body is throbbing dully right now, and she can barely tell which way is up. A soft touch on her arm draws her attention, and some distant part of her recognizes it's Luna but Usagi can barely gather herself to do anything.

'I have to move,' she thinks to herself, instinctively realizing that she's in a very dangerous position right now, but the rest of her body doesn't want to cooperate.

And then she's flying through the air. She thinks she hears – feels? – that horrible noise the vampire monster was making, but there's no accompanying pain to follow and Usagi is confused. Something gently shakes her and she tries to focus on the feeling. It's not Luna anymore, this is too big a feeling for her tiny paws. So who…? She tries to blink to see who it is, but the world is still so blurry and dark that she can't make out any shapes.

She keeps blinking as the world slowly comes back into focus, and then she can almost make out the shapes. There's a figure in dark clothes and a white mask that she recognizes, and then it hits her. Tuxedo Mask. She tries to smile. He saved her, or at the very least got her out of the monster's line of attack. But the monster?

Her faculties are barely starting to return to her and Usagi feels well enough to sit up. When Tuxedo Mask figures out what she's trying to do he helps her, and that's when Usagi notices Luna right beside her, concern etched onto the cat's face. She feels bad for making her companion worry so much and tries to convey this with her expression. She isn't sure how well she succeeds.

"M'nst'r?" she mumbles. Her ears are still ringing and she's got a killer headache, but she isn't sure they're out of danger just yet and knows she can't truly relax. She sees Luna saying something, probably an answer to her question, but she still can't hear. But the cat is gesturing back to the center of the stage and Usagi assumes it must still be out there. That it hasn't come to find them is a mystery, but she doesn't know how to ask.

She raises her arm, though it's a minor struggle, and grasps at her tiara. Then she starts squirming in Tuxedo Mask's grip, trying to get her legs under her, until he gets the hint and helps her stand. She's definitely not steady and has to lean heavily on the man, but he doesn't seem to mind and Usagi appreciates him more than anything right now. "Fin'sh 'er?" she tries, though it doesn't come out nearly as completely as she would have liked.

Luna says something else she can't hear, so she looks to Tuxedo Mask instead. His lips are easier to read, but he isn't saying anything, to Usagi's frustration. She can't even see his eyes so she has no idea if he's even paying attention to her or not with his head turned to the side. She wonders if he can see the monster. She sways into him to grab his attention and he finally looks at her. Then he speaks, and she can sort of understand what he says. He has a plan, apparently, but doesn't bother to explain it to her.

Instead he maneuvers her so she's leaning against the wall on the side of the stage, making sure she's got a solid grip on the curtain bunched there before he walks away, quickly returning with a microphone in hand. She has no idea what it's for, but he grabs her again and, when he noticed her attention is focused on him again, mouths, 'Ready?'

She nods, and then Tuxedo Mask steps back out onto the stage. The monster is pinned to the wall by several red roses, though she's steadily removing them from her person. It doesn't take her much longer to free herself and then her attention is focused entirely on them on stage. She snarls, though Usagi doesn't hear it, and then opens her mouth again. Usagi braces for that crippling screech of hers, when Tuxedo Mask holds out the microphone.

The attack hits them for all of a second before the speakers placed around the front of the stage are echoing the amplified noise back, throwing the monster's attack back at herself. She immediately cuts off to clutch at her own head, though Usagi is jealous that she can remain standing under that onslaught. As she tries to scowl at the monster, Tuxedo Mask jostles her again, and once he's got her attention back he sends a pointed head tilt down at the tiara she's still holding.

"Right," she mumbles, trying to stand separate from Tuxedo Mask now. He takes a step back, though a comforting hand remains placed at her back. Usagi gathers as much strength as she can muster to put into this throw, focusing all her effort on hitting the monster. "Moon Tiara Action!" she shouts, enunciating as clearly as she can as she throws it. Miraculously, in her opinion, the tiara strikes true, hitting the vampire monster while it's distracted with its own pain. Usagi has a moment to congratulate herself before everything goes black and she slumps to the ground, barely aware of strong arms catching her.

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When Usagi starts to awaken the first thing she becomes aware of is a pounding headache throbbing behind her eyes. The second thing she becomes aware of is how cold she is, and how hard the ground she's lying on is. Moving her body is a struggle, but a manageable one at that and she forces herself into a sitting position, opening her eyes as she does so. She blinks a couple of times to clear her vision, and then frowns in confusion as she registers the stage she's lying on, facing an empty amphitheater as light slowly begins to crest the edge of the roof. Then she notices a tiny black figure curled up near her and blurts out, "Luna," in shock.

The cat's eyes snap open at the call of her name and then Luna is instantly on her feet, approaching Usagi with concern clear on her face and in her voice as she asks Usagi if she's alright.

"No, I'm not," she replies grumpily. "Why am I still here? What happened?"

"Come on, Usagi," Luna says instead. "I'll explain on the way back but we need to get home. The sun's nearly up and we don't want to get caught here, not to mention there's no telling how worried your family is." Usagi groans but slowly gets to her feet. Luna doesn't try to rush her and she's grateful for the cat. She follows her out of the amphitheater, and once they're out Luna starts speaking. "After that monster hit you with her attack, you didn't get back up. I was so concerned that you'd be in trouble, but I couldn't move you myself. And then that man came, scooping you up off the ground and taking you to safety," she begins.

"Tuxedo Mask," Usagi mumbles, filling in the name Luna clearly didn't know.

"We couldn't wake you for several minutes, and when you finally stirred you didn't seem well enough to fight, yet you still tried. Long story short, with Tuxedo Mask's help you managed to defeat her, but immediately afterwards you passed out," she continues, her voice growing stony. "He caught you and laid you on the ground, but then he left. As I had no means to get you back home myself, I had no choice but to leave you there for the night and hope you awoke before it got too late."

"He left me?" Usagi asks incredulously. It's upsetting to think Tuxedo Mask didn't even try to help her out or take her home, but another part of her is glad that he didn't. She's not sure she wants a stranger knowing where she lives, or even her identity since clearly she lost her transformation sometime in the night.

"I know," Luna agrees. "For someone in a tuxedo, he wasn't very gentlemanly. Though perhaps it's for the best. Either way, as soon as we get home I want you in bed and resting for the remainder of the day. You went through a lot last night, and we're going to take full advantage of this weekend for you to recuperate."

"No arguments here," Usagi grumbles, her headache still pounding away. When she rubs at her temples her fingers glance over something sticky, and when she touches it she realizes there's dried blood trailing from her ears, likely a result from that blasted attack. She really hopes they don't encounter too many people as she makes her way back home because her appearance will be hard to explain.

She lets Luna lead the way back, and the cat thankfully keeps them to the back alleys and empty sidewalks. When they finally make it back to her house she has no choice but to go through the front door with her condition, not to mention she left her window closed in the first place. She quietly creeps through the first floor, though it's early enough that not even Miharu-san is up yet. She can only hope they didn't notice she never came home last night. Her family probably wouldn't, but Miharu-san might and she doesn't want to deal with the lecture her parents will likely give her once the woman tells them.

But those are problems for later. As soon as Usagi sees her bed she's slumping onto the covers, not even caring about her clothes or the dried blood covering the side of her face. She's warm and she's comfortable and that's all she needs to quickly fall asleep.


	7. Becoming a Star

_Tsukino Usagi_

The first few days after her fight with the vampire monster are a struggle for Usagi as she has to deal with partial hearing loss. The headache abates after a good night's sleep, but she still can't hear anything at a normal level. It makes it hard to talk to her family so she tries to avoid them as often as possible, though she has no choice when it comes to meals. She also can't avoid the lecture her father gives her the next time she comes downstairs, because it turns out her parents had noticed her staying out all night. She gets grounded for two weeks, in which she has to come straight home from school, but Usagi can't even argue it. The real explanation for why she'd been out so long would never be believed.

Usagi hates it, but she has no choice if she doesn't want to make things even worse. It's probably the reason she doesn't notice the massive talent competition until it brings itself to her very classroom. Her hearing has mostly returned by then, but it takes actually entering her classroom to realize the ruckus that's going on inside. She pauses, stunned, in the doorway. Also, locked out, since there are desks piled in front of the doorway. She has to walk down to the other door in order to actually get inside.

"Ah, Tsukino-san, here you go," Umino says, walking up to Usagi and handing her a lime green streamer. "Don't throw it until I say so."

"What?" she mutters to herself, glancing around. Two of her classmates appear to be practicing a skit together. Some are dancing in the corner. Osaka-san is seated at one of the few remaining desks and is furiously signing some cardstock. She walks over to the other girl she's semi-familiar with. "What's going on?" she asks her, unsure of whether she'll get a response or not given how focused she is.

"Can't talk," she says, "gotta prepare. For my fame. No time."

"…Right," Usagi mutters, walking away from her. She's clearly caught up in whatever the rest of the class is as well, but Usagi has no idea what it could be. Either way, Sakurada-sensei is gonna freak out when she realizes what they've done to the class.

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Usagi meets up with Luna – the cat barely leaves her alone for too long since she has yet to fully heal – for lunch and as they sit in the stairwell it happens to overlook the courtyard where a bunch of her classmates have gathered. She still has no clue what's going on, but Osaka and Umino are standing atop the platform out there and seem to be addressing everyone else.

"What's all that about, Usagi-chan?" Luna asks as Usagi picks at her food. She glances over before replying.

"No idea," she admits. "They were like that this morning, talking about fame and such. I don't know where they got the idea."

Luna hums as she thinks. "It might have something to do with that idol competition," she muses. "I've seen the posters around town. An alumnus of the school who became an idol is holding a talent show to find more idols."

"Is that what it is?" she asks, snorting. "Sounds boring."

"Maybe so," Luna agrees, "but you have to admit that their behavior does seem rather odd," Luna says. "I wouldn't have expected your classmates to grow so frenzied about this."

"So what?" Usagi groans. "They're probably having fun, you know, something normal middle-schoolers do."

"I don't think so, but I'll keep an eye on them."

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For the first time in a couple of days Luna isn't waiting at the school gates once classes end, and though Usagi is surprised – a little pleased, as well – she can't take advantage of the freedom because she has to go straight home. It's upsetting not being able to visit Motoki-oniichan, but on the bright side it's given her plenty of time to read the manga she's been collecting.

She's lounging on her bed with one of her latest issues when Luna hops back through the window, an urgent expression on her face. "Usagi-chan!" she calls out, catching her attention. Usagi flinches, startled, and turns to her cat incredulously. "We have to go, quickly! The contest, it's rigged."

Usagi sits up, conflicted. "I-I can't. I can't leave the house; if my parents find out I'll get in trouble!"

"Then you'll have to be quick, but you can't just ignore this," Luna snaps.

"Ugh," Usagi groans, standing. "Alright, let's do this. Moon Prism Power Make Up!" After she's transformed she looks at Luna. "Lead the way."

They quickly take to the roofs since it's the quickest way to get through the city, Luna leading the way to the performance center where the auditions are taking place. When they get there the place is practically deserted, a dead quiet that makes Usagi nervous as they head to the main auditorium.

Usagi throws the doors wide open when they arrive, and then freezes in the doorway. She can see up on the stage all of the competition participants, many of them her classmates. The seats of the auditorium are empty, save for one single figure that she vaguely recognizes. "Hey, you!" she shouts to draw their attention. "Give them back their energy, now! Or I'll punish you in the name of the Moon!"

The figure stands and Usagi recognizes her as Shiratori Mikan, some pop idol who'd gotten popular in the past few years. But then she changes, growing taller as her skin turns a shiny blue while her dress changes into a soft violet wrap. "I will not!" She lifts a hand for an attack and ice comes shooting at Usagi.

She dives forward in a roll, and when she lands back upright she dodges to the side into the seats, crouching low to keep hidden. 'Gotta keep moving,' she thinks, a little unsteady. With her hearing still a little off her balance is worse than ever, and that roll nearly threw her off but she managed to keep herself in check. On the ground, she finds moving far easier than before. She crawls under the seats into the next row and the one before that to confuse the monster. When she thinks she's crawled a pretty decent ways she pokes her head up to look for the monster.

Scanning the rows before her, she can't find a trace of where the monster went. When she glances behind her, the monster isn't there either. "What the hell?" she mutters to herself.

"Looking for me?" she hears up above and she looks up in horror to find the monster floating high above her.

"Shit," she stands, but she's too slow getting her hand up to her tiara. The monster's attack catches her arm and Usagi immediately feels a chill where it hits her. She can't hesitate, and while the monster is preoccupied with her current attack she reaches up with her other arm and grabs her tiara off her head. "Moon Tiara Action!"

She flings the tiara, but with her off hand the throw goes wide, missing the monster completely. However, it does manage to distract it enough that she cuts off her attack on Usagi, giving her a moment to try and hide again. But she doesn't make it very far. A clinking sound draws Usagi's attention back to the ice covering her forearm, and with a start she realizes it's grown. She hears another clink and watches as a new chunk appears even further up her arm.

'Oh no,' she thinks, grabbing at her arm to try and pry the ice off. It's utterly ineffective, and when it starts growing again the ice spreads to her other hand. 'Not good, not good.' In her panic it starts spreading faster, quickly growing up her arms until they're frozen in their positions.

"Luna!" she shouts. The cat is nowhere to be found, lost amongst all the seats.

"There's no one here to help you now, little girl," the enemy says with a cackle. "You're going to freeze and then I'll take your energy along with the rest of them!"

"No!" Usagi screams. The ice is creeping onto her chest now, her arms totally unmovable. It snakes up and down her torso at the same time, and she jolts when it touches the soft skin of her neck. Horror starts creeping up on her. She barely survived the last monster, and if it hadn't been for Tuxedo Mask's intervention she might've died then. Now she's in almost the same situation, but there isn't anyone to save her now.

'When did things start to go so wrong?' she wonders to herself, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes. 'I don't want to die. I told Luna I wasn't cut out for this.' One slips down, cold on her cheek. "I don't want to die!" she screams aloud. Ice creeps further up her face, nearly covering her mouth now.

There's a sharp crack different from the crinkling sounds of ice creeping over her, and Usagi tries to look down as much as she can without moving. She can barely see a red rose lodged in the ice on her stomach, and she wonders where it came from. As she watches, the ice starts cracking and hope builds in her chest when they start spreading, eventually shattering into pieces. Usagi heaves a huge breath of relief as she's finally freed.

"Never fear, Sailor Moon!" a voice shouts, and both Usagi and the monster spin to look at the new figure. She smiles when she sees Tuxedo Mask. "Have faith that you can defeat anyone!"

The monster roars. "I'll freeze you too and then come back for her!" She launches an attack at Tuxedo Mask, and while he dodges Usagi takes advantage of the opportunity to summon her tiara and throw her attack again.

"Moon Tiara Action!" The tiara hits it solidly in the back and the monster crumbles into dust. A minor explosion goes off behind her and Usagi flinches again, turning to see the massive disco ball on the ceiling now has a gaping, smoking hole. Dust sprinkles out of it, falling back over the participants. They start groaning moments later and Usagi realizes she has to go, and quick.

She jumps up, launching herself up where Tuxedo Mask had appeared through an open window on the second floor. Luna is nowhere to be found, in the moment Usagi pauses to look, but she doesn't have time to stay back and search. She's got to get back before her parents notice she's missing. Without a second thought she heads back home in a way similar to her arrival.

She rushes back to the house, sliding into her room and dropping the transformation. She peeks out into the hallway for a minute or two, listening to the sounds of the house. Nothing seems amiss; everything is quiet, so she assumes her presence hasn't been missed. 'Thank god,' she thinks, flopping back on her bed. With yet another near-death experience she feels exhausted, and she figures since she's got nothing else to do a nap is certainly in order.


	8. The Brainwashing Cram School

Author's Note: This story takes place in 2010, even though it's based off the 90's anime, so there's going to be CDs instead of floppy disks.

* * *

_Tsukino Usagi_

By the end of her grounding, Usagi's hearing has finally returned to normal and – blessedly – no other monsters have appeared to terrorize the city. Luna barely manages to ease off her overprotective watching of Usagi, but only just. She still walks her to and from school to wherever she goes. Usagi knows it's how the cat shows her concern, so she tries to tolerate it.

Besides, she has something else to stress about currently: the national practice exams. The whole school is antsy about the soon-to-be-released results. Usagi's father had pulled her aside a couple of weeks before the test and told her that she needed to improve her scores or he'd take away her allowance, so this time she put in some more effort than usual and now she can only hope it's enough to please him.. When the results do come out the top 1% is posted in one of the main halls of the school. Only one student from their school is even listed.

Mizuno Ami.

She hears the whispers in the halls when she walks to class. Everyone has talked about her at some point or another, most often with envy or jealousy in their voice. She's definitely a genius. Usagi is pretty sure she's never gotten a score less than perfect on anything. And supposedly her mother is a wealthy doctor as well.

'What I wouldn't give to be as rich as her,' Usagi thinks to herself as she reads her grades for the term, which contain the results of the practice exam. She's fluctuating around 60 in all of them, which she expects, but her exam result is barely above 70. . She can only hope her father won't be too disappointed, but there's nothing she can do about that. She'll get a lecture, surely, but she's used to those by now.

When she gets home that afternoon neither of her parents are there, so she sneaks up to her room with no issues. Luna is waiting, pacing agitatedly on her windowsill. "What's wrong?" she asks, concern bleeding into her tone. "Is there another enemy?"

"I'm not sure," the cat responds, sitting down.

"Well, what is it?" she asks impatiently.

"It's…nothing you need to concern yourself about just yet," Luna finally says moments later.

Usagi gives her one last considering look before shrugging it off. "If you say so." She slumps down onto her bed, grabbing the manga she'd been reading the night before off her bedside table.

"Don't you have homework to do?" Luna asks, sidling up next to her on the pillow. "All you've been doing these past few weeks is reading manga. Are you not the least concerned about your studies?"

"Later," Usagi shrugs. "I wanna finish this."

There's silence in the room for several minutes, but just as Usagi really starts to get wrapped up in her manga Luna speaks up again. "Say Usagi-chan…what do you know of Mizuno Ami?"

Usagi pauses, though she doesn't respond for several moments. 'Was this what Luna had been stressing about earlier?' she wonders to herself, glancing at the cat. "Not much," she finally answers cautiously. "She's a genius, the smartest girl in school. But she keeps mostly to herself. I don't think she really talks to anyone. Why?"

"No reason in particular," Luna says. "I saw her today. I don't think she's too interested in cats."

Usagi rolls her eyes. "What, she didn't pet you like you wanted? Lacking attention, are you, Luna?"

The cat flushes, or at least Usagi thinks she does. The fur makes it hard to tell. But Luna does start spluttering. "Wh-what? No! I am not, thank you very much. I'm not your average cat, you know!"

"Sure, of course not," Usagi says as she returns to her manga, though she's still thinking about Mizuno. 'Is she related to that evil thing I fought a couple of nights ago?' she wonders to herself. 'She doesn't seem like it, but then again, what do I know about her.'

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The next day Luna manages to convince Usagi to take a detour through the shopping district after school, which she readily agrees to on the condition they can stop at the arcade before heading home. She follows Luna, who seems to know where she's going as they walk through the throngs of people. At some point she comes to realize they're headed in the direction of the arcade, but before she can get too excited about seeing Motoki-oniisan Luna is stopping in front of a tall building.

"What's this, Luna?" she asks curiously. "The Crystal Seminar?" Usagi reads off of the sign at the front door.

"Yes, they've been gaining quite the popularity these past couple weeks," she begins to explain. "I've been getting some odd readings from them, though, and I thought we might check it out. Let's go inside."

"Inside?" Usagi asks. "Will we be allowed?"

"Who are you talking to?" a voice says, and both Usagi and Luna tense up.

She fearfully glances over to see her least favorite person in the world. "Umm, I-I don't know what you're talking about? Myself. I'm talking to myself," she hurriedly stammers.

He gives her an incredulous look. "You do know that's the first sign of insanity, right?"

"And no great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness!" she says brightly, not even bothering to argue about his jibe at her. "Well, gotta dash! Hope I don't see ya around." And then she takes off speed walking down the sidewalk to put as much distance between her and him as possible. She doesn't slow down until she's nearly out of the shopping district and then she finally starts paying attention to where she's going. She barely notices Luna followed dutifully behind her.

"That was a close call," she says, breathing heavily from the run. "He nearly heard me."

Usagi gives the cat an annoyed look. "You've got to be more careful about talking in public, Luna," she scolds her.

"Yes, yes, I know," the cat bemoans. "I suppose that's all we can do for the day," she says. "Let's go home, then." As they start walking home, Luna continues talking even though Usagi had just scolded her for doing exactly that. "I had hoped that we could do some investigating inside the seminar school to see where these readings are coming from. There's something odd about the students that attend, and I know some of them go to your school so you need to pay attention to their behavior, but I don't understand why they're acting this way."

"It's probably Jadeite again," Usagi mutters. "Him and his stupid, creepy monsters."

"Yes, that is the likely answer," Luna agrees. "We'll have to be especially careful. You haven't been having much luck with those monsters recently. Maybe we need to get you training again."

Usagi makes a noise of agreement, wincing at Luna's frankness, but she isn't wrong. There have been far too many close calls lately, and if Luna can get her some training she'd feel a lot more comfortable going out. As it is, she's not looking forward to what this Crystal Seminar place might lead to.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When Usagi goes to school the next day she tries to pay attention to her classmates like Luna said, though she has no idea which of them attend the Crystal Seminar so she's really just looking for anything unusual. Not that she knows what looks normal for most of them because she doesn't usually watch the rest of them all that often. It's pretty boring, actually, and after going the whole day without noticing something odd she resolves to tell Luna she couldn't find anything.

That is, until she runs into one of them, literally. It's not even in class, but down at the shoe lockers. Usagi is just putting on her shoes when someone runs into her – and really, is she that invisible? – and knocks them both over. She doesn't recognize the kid but all the stuff in his bag falls out, which he then scrambles to put back. Usagi tries to help, belatedly, but by the time she gets moving he's already grabbed his stuff and run, leaving her holding just a single disk out.

"Well never mind then," she mutters, and then she gets a good look at it. The words 'Crystal Seminar Disk' are printed right at the top, and Usagi has a feeling this is just the kind of thing Luna wanted to find when they searched the seminar. She quickly finishes putting on her shoes and rushes out of the school, spotting Luna waiting just beside the school gates. Briefly glancing around for other students and finding them relatively isolated, she whispers, "I've got a Crystal Seminar disk that I think we should check out."

Luna looks surprised but quickly nods. "I won't ask how because I don't want to know, but we can use the computers in the lab to check it out," she says.

Usagi rolls her eyes. "I don't think I want to know how you were imagining I got it; I'm sure I'd be insulted," she mutters as she leads the cat back onto campus, disregarding her school shoes in favor of just walking straight in. Hopefully no one will see them, anyways. They head right for one of the labs, Luna picking one of the computers in the back to sit at.

"Go on, Usagi-chan," Luna encourages her.

"I know, I know," she gripes as she pulls the disk out of the case, inserting it into the tower. It takes a minute to load, but when it does it seems like a normal study program. There are subject categories she can pick from, and when she does it takes her to another menu with broken down topics. "What are we looking for, Luna?" she asks, growing frustrated.

"I'm not sure," she mutters. "There's gotta be something. Try opening one of the lessons."

Usagi grimaces but clicks on the first option. A new page loads with an introductory paragraph on the topic. Luna takes over then, scrolling through the information. Usagi doesn't bother to read it. She zones out while Luna works, but moments later her attention is drawn back when she hears a burst of static coming from the speakers. They both pause and look at the computer in confusion, and then a voice speaks.

"Give us all your knowledge and mental energy. Offer it up to our Great Ruler…"

"What…What is this?" Usagi asks, stunned.

Luna's expression is tense as she replies, "It's a brainwashing program."

"What?!" Usagi's eyes widen in shock. "Then all those students…" she trails off, sharing a look with Luna.

"We need to get to the Crystal Seminar and get rid of this monster." Luna darts down off the desk and rushes to the door, though she stops when she notices Usagi isn't following. "Usagi-chan, what are you waiting for?"

"I don't know," she shrugs, suddenly unsure. "I mean, you said it yourself I haven't been doing so well with these monsters lately. What if something else happens today and Tuxedo Mask doesn't come in time to save me? I don't want to die, Luna."

"You're strong enough, you just have to believe in yourself," Luna says.

Usagi shakes her head. "I'm not sure I can."

Luna plods closer to the teen. "Then for now, trust in the fact that I believe in you. Besides, I'll be there and I will help in any way I can."

Usagi looks at her companion, but the expression on Luna's face is dead serious. It's almost enough to bring some confidence back in herself. That vampire monster had really shaken her; she'd just barely recovered from those attacks, for gods' sake. And this last time she was nearly frozen to death. It scares her that she could encounter something similar, or worse, again.

"Usagi-chan," Luna says, when she sees Usagi is still hesitating. "Have faith in your powers. You can do this. You're the only one who can do this. If you don't, then all these students are going to get hurt, or worse."

"I'm not a hero, Luna," she reminds her. "I can't take responsibility for those people."

"But you have to," she argues. "You're the only one who can do anything. You're a Guardian; you can't abandon them."

"I didn't ask for this."

"It is your destiny," Luna insists, and then she softens. "It'll get better, Usagi-chan. You just need some more experience."

"Not if I die."

Luna shakes her head. "You won't. I won't allow it, so have some faith."

Usagi sighs, realizing she isn't going to be able to argue her way out of this. Luna isn't going to change her mind, and she certainly won't let Usagi just bail on her duties. She really has no choice, as unfair as it is. It's hard to accept, but she knows she can't keep doubting herself. Doubt will only lead to making more mistakes, which could very well cost her her life. She has to have faith in herself, or she's screwed.

She nods to herself. "Alright, let's go." This time, when Luna darts out the door, Usagi is right on her heels.

They race through the halls of the school, the closest exit putting them between the main and secondary buildings, near the back entrance of the school. At this hour the place is practically deserted, though oddly enough Usagi spots two people talking at the gate ahead. One is a student, she can tell from the uniform, and when she identifies the blue hair Usagi knows it's Mizuno. But the other appears to be an adult. Both she and Luna slow as they approach, but the two don't seem to have noticed them yet. Soon enough they're close enough to hear what's going on.

"No thank you," Mizuno says, her tone distant and bored, "but I have no intention of joining any seminar, let alone yours."

It seems to infuriate the woman, because she snarls and grabs Mizuno's arm, yanking the startled girl closer. "You pathetic little girl! Don't you know? Your intelligence will give us so much energy for the Great Ruler."

Mizuno struggles in the woman's grip, but her hold doesn't loosen. "You crazy lady! What are you talking about? You're insane!"

"Usagi-chan," Luna says insistently, drawing her attention, "you need to transform!"

She nods. "Right. Moon Prism Power Make Up!" She tries to take comfort in the warm feeling covering her body, and when it's gone she's back in her short sailor outfit. She shares one last glance with Luna before turning all her attention to the duo before them. "Hey!" she shouts, drawing their attention. The woman whips her head to glare at Usagi, but Mizuno just looks confused. "Let her go," she demands.

She does, shoving Mizuno away hard enough she stumbles and falls to the ground. In her peripheral Usagi sees Luna darting over to the other girl. But her attention is quickly drawn back to the woman as she starts to change. Her skin turns a bright red and her eyes grow more angular and black. Her ears lengthen, as does her hair, and her hands extend to form razor sharp claws.

"What the hell?" Usagi mutters.

"Who are you?" the thing asks, its voice raspier now.

She swallows her hesitation, suddenly realizing it's been a while since she last introduced herself to her enemies. "I am Sailor Moon," she proclaims, almost like she's reminding herself, "Guardian of Love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Get out of my way!" the creature shouts, waving an arm towards Usagi. White squares appear beside the monster before shooting towards Usagi. She darts away in time to avoid being hit, the squares colliding with the ground in an explosion of dirt and dust. There's barely any time for her to catch her breath or even pause to launch her own attack as she's forced to dodge continuous attacks with no cover to hide behind.

"Luna," she manages to shout, "what do I do?!"

.

_Mizuno Ami_

She hears the girl's shout, but Ami can't imagine who she'd be talking to. Who is Luna? As for what she should do, well, attacking back would be a good start. Running around like this isn't going to accomplish anything except tiring herself out, and then she'll be more liable to get hit by those attacks. Then, once she falls, who will be left to deal with the – the monster?

A monster. It isn't possible. It shouldn't be possible, and yet, Ami can't think of anything else to describe what she's seeing. The woman who'd approached her before is clearly gone, mutated into that…thing. Calling it a monster is the most apt description she can think of.

Her thoughts go back to analyzing the battle. "She needs a distraction," Ami mutters. "Something to give her a break, a chance to attack."

"Can you do it?" she hears someone ask suddenly and flinches in surprise. She turns to glance around, but the campus is empty save for them. So who spoke?

"Down here," the voice says again, and Ami does just that – to see a cat. "Can you do it?" the voice – the cat – repeats.

She knows her expression goes slack with surprise. "Did you – you just talked," she says incredulously.

"That's not what's important right now!" the cat growls. "Sailor Moon is in trouble. We need to do something!"

"You –" she starts, and then falters, deciding to focus more on what it's asking rather than the fact it's asking anything in the first place. "Like what?"

"Anything!"

"And get in the middle of that? No way!" Ami shouts, glancing fearfully at the two currently battling. There's not a chance in hell that Ami's going to jump into that mess. She'd be dead in a heartbeat. She's not a fighter; her strength is her brain, and what good is all her smarts in a physical fight? None at all, that's what.

But the cat is persistent. "Sailor Moon can finish it off, she just needs an opening," it says. "We have to help her."

"I can't!" she insists.

The cat growls, low and dangerous. Ami flinches and barely resists stepping back. She won't show fear over a tiny cat she could punt across the yard. "She helped you earlier when you were being attacked," the cat reminds her – and Ami wonders just how long it had been there; had it been present when the other girl – Sailor Moon – showed up? "The least you can do is return the favor."

Ami frowns, something keeping her from outright telling the cat no. She gives it a bit more thought, glancing over at the battle. Sailor Moon – what a weird name – is still dodging, but Ami can see that she's breathing heavier than before. She probably won't be able to keep it up for much longer. Once she's taken care of by the monster, it'll come back for Ami, and she knows she won't stand a chance by herself. Logically speaking, providing an opening for Sailor Moon would be the best way to ensure she herself isn't attacked, but the problem is how to go about it. How could she cause a distraction?

"What would you have me do?" she reluctantly asks the cat. Clearly it knows something she doesn't.

"You'll help?" it asks, hope and gratitude showing in its expression – and what has the world come to that Ami's even indulging a talking cat in the first place?

It's her last chance to back out, and then what? Run? Maybe. Use Sailor Moon as a distraction and get out of there? But if Sailor Moon can't beat it, then there's always the chance it'll come back for her. She's screwed if she runs, and screwed if she doesn't help. This really is her only bet. The feeling of determination settles over her as she makes up her mind, finally picking herself up off the ground. "Yes, I will." The cat beams, but then its gaze turns from one of gratitude to one of confusion, and Ami can't help but mimic its confusion. "What?"

"Mizuno-san…" it trails off, then shakes its head almost disbelievingly. "I should have known. Here, this is for you." It pounces and does a backflip in midair. There's a shimmer of light underneath her before a blue pen drops to the ground. Ami's eyes widen in astonishment, but then again, she probably shouldn't be so surprised. The cat talks. "Take this," it instructs.

Ami picks up the pen, giving it a cursory glance. The top half is gold, with a wide top encircled by a gold band. The center piece has four stones in the cardinal corners, each a different color. There's a gold band separating the bottom blue half from the top, a small blue stone in the front. "What do I do with it?" she asks, deciding it the more pressing question than how exactly the cat summoned it in the first place.

"There's no time to explain if you want to help Sailor Moon. Now," the cat explains, enthusiastic about something, "shout 'Mercury Power Make Up.'"

"What?" Ami asks incredulously. "Why?"

"Just do it!" it shouts, and Ami blinks. She might as well. At worst she'll only sound – and feel – stupid, but the cat is clearly capable of some odd things. Perhaps this will have some unknown effect, too.

She spares one last dubious look at the cat standing next to her before gripping the pen tighter. "Mercury Power Make Up!" A blue light starts to surround Ami as a warm feeling envelops her. Her eyes close of their own volition, but when she opens them again she finds she's no longer wearing the same uniform as before and she gapes, glancing down at herself.

Her sweater has changed into a white leotard with a blue collar and her skirt has shortened. She wears a light blue bow with a dark blue brooch in the center, white gloves on her forearms, and knee-high blue boots. On her neck she feels a choker – and given what else she's wearing Ami assumes it's blue as well – and on her forehead she can feel something resting there – a tiara, perhaps? "What the hell?" she asks, glancing incredulously at herself.

"You are Sailor Mercury," Luna tells her, "a Sailor Guardian meant to help Sailor Moon defend the earth from evil! Now go!"

Her mouth opens to form some sort of protest, but nothing comes out as she turns to the battle. Sailor Moon is looking much worse for wear, and Ami can see some tears in her uniform. She stumbles and the monster's attack grazes the back of her legs, making her cry out. Ami knows she won't last much longer.

But she promised to do something to help, and Ami won't be backing down now. Seeing what she has this afternoon has given her so many questions, and if they lose to this monster none of them will be answered. She steps forward with determination. "Hey you!"

The monster cuts off its gritty chuckle to turn and look at her. "What's this? Where did Mizuno Ami go?" It glances around curiously.

Ami grits her teeth and speaks, the words coming to her naturally. "I am Sailor Mercury, Guardian of Water and Intelligence. Douse yourself in water and repent!"

"Oh?" the creature questions, its head cocking to the side.

"Mercury Bubble Spray!" Ami shouts, throwing her hands out on instinct. Water – and where did that come from? – splashes out and then instantly evaporates, covering the area in a thick mist.

"Now, Sailor Moon!" Ami hears the cat shout, though she can no longer see the feline. Presumably Sailor Moon is somewhere in the fray, and Ami hopes she knows what she's doing. Then she hears another voice shout.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

A golden light cuts through the fog, heading directly towards the monster. It has no chance of dodging and the tiara – boomerang? – connects squarely in its chest. The monster screams in agony, and the mist dissipates enough that Ami can see it fall to its knees as it starts to turn to dust and disintegrate. Eventually there's nothing left of it, its remains scattered in the wind.

"Woah!" Ami hears Sailor Moon exclaim, closer than she'd have imagined. She turns to see her fellow Guardian walking over – or more like limping, given her injuries. She looks surprised to see Ami, which she guesses can't be helped. Ami is surprised, too. "Luna, what's going on?" she asks, and Ami realizes she's talking to the cat, who must be named Luna.

"This is Sailor Mercury, another Sailor Guardian that I've been searching for," she explains. Ami has questions, but she decides to hold off on asking them for now, instead watching the two talk and hoping she'll hear something interesting.

"What?" Sailor Moon exclaims. "There are others? Why didn't you tell me?"

Luna frowns. "I didn't know she would end up being one. I don't know who they are, I just know that others exist," she quickly explains.

Sailor Moon pouts. "Well, hopefully this will make things easier."

"Wait, hold on," Ami interjects. They both turn to look at her. "What 'things' are you talking about?" She gives Luna a look in particular. "I agreed to help this one time, because she helped me earlier. I'm not about to make this a regular occurrence. I have more important things to do!"

"What, you think I don't either?" Sailor Moon asks, clearly annoyed as she crosses her arms across her chest. Ami is briefly drawn to the intricate brooch in the center of her bow, but then shakes her head clear of the thought.

"But you're a Sailor Guardian!" Luna protests. "It is your duty to fight against evil, just as it is Sailor Moon's."

"What does being a Guardian even mean?" she asks. It's a term she's heard several times this afternoon and she's grown curious.

"Yeah, Luna," Sailor Moon agrees, to Ami's surprise. "You never told me about that either."

Luna sighs. "And I will explain, when there aren't more important things to worry about. We barely know where these monsters are coming from and what they're after. Not to mention we still need to find the rest of the Sailor Guardians, and the Moon Princess."

"You know," Sailor Moon begins, "I think I remember you mentioning them, but you never really explained any of it."

"Ah, well," Luna has the sense to look guilty. "I had meant to, but we got sidetracked with several monsters one right after the other and I forgot."

Ami looks at Sailor Moon curiously after hearing this. Apparently she's just about as new as she is. Makes sense, she supposes, since she seems to be arguing with Luna almost as much as Ami herself is. How curious. And Luna expects them to band together to form a team when they have no idea what they're doing?

"It doesn't matter," she says before Sailor Moon and Luna can get further in their argument. "I'm not going to do this again." She turns to step away, but then remembers what she's wearing and pauses. "And if you could tell me how to undo this, I would be very grateful."

"Just concentrate on it vanishing," Sailor Moon explains, appearing to do just that herself. Ami watches as her body glows briefly before being replaced by a figure she vaguely recognizes.

"You…go to my school?" she asks, tilting her head.

The girl blinks at her. "Yeah. I'm Tsukino Usagi, year 2 class 1. And you're Mizuno Ami."

Ami is surprised she already knows who she is. Before she can really ponder it, though, she does as Usagi instructed and concentrates on the form fading away. When she feels the warmth envelop her again she knows she's succeeded. Sure enough, when she looks she's back in her school uniform. "How did you know?" she asks.

Tsukino shrugs. "We saw you before the monster transformed and attacked, and everyone knows who you are."

Ami frowns. "Regardless, I'm not going to help you again." Then she turns and walks away.

"You have questions, I'm sure," Tsukino calls after her. She pauses, unsure of where the other girl is going with that. "If you leave now, you'll never have them answered." Ami freezes and glances back at the other girl, giving her a look. Tsukino looks unusually serious. "You like figuring things out, don't you? Aren't you the least bit curious about what just happened?"

"So what if I am?" Ami responds. "Is that knowledge worth risking my life?"

Tsukino shrugs, infuriatingly calm. "I don't know. You're supposed to be the genius girl who knows everything. Will you be able to live knowing there's things out there you can't comprehend? Things that you could know, but chose to ignore?"

Ami's fists curl at her side when she hears Tsukino's questions. They're intentionally designed to get to her, she knows, but Tsukino isn't wrong. Ami knows what she's like. If she let this go, never spoke to either of them again, this encounter would fester in the back of her mind. She'd never really forget it, always wondering and thinking it over and over. She does have a lot of questions. She wants to pick Luna and Tsukino's brain for everything they know. But if she leaves she won't have the chance.

She turns back to the pair, a frustrated grimace on her face. "Fine," she spits out. "I'll join your magical club, or whatever these Guardians are. But you have to start giving us answers, Luna," she demands of the cat.

Luna seems to grimace before nodding. "Very well. But I think that can hold for another day, at least. Take the evening to process today, and I'll answer as many of your questions as I can tomorrow."

"Deal," Ami agrees. "I'll find you after school then, Tsukino-san." When Tsukino nods in agreement, Ami turns back around. This time when she heads out, she doesn't turn back.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

Beside her, Luna lets out a heavy sigh. "I didn't think she'd be so difficult to convince," the cat bemoans. Usagi gives her a considering look.

"What did you expect? This is a lot to spring on someone out of the blue," she reprimands the cat. "Come on," she says, heading out after Mizuno. "I'm hungry." She hears Luna plodding after her, but the cat is quiet. After a while Usagi speaks up again. "How many of us are there, really?"

"There are four others, besides yourself," Luna says, walking on the wall next to Usagi's head. "I knew there was something about Mizuno when I encountered her before, but I didn't expect her to be a Guardian. I should have known, though. Sailor Mercury was always the smartest of you girls."

"Are there any others you've had these weird feelings about?" Usagi asks.

"No, none as of yet," Luna answers. "Please, Usagi-chan, just let it be for tonight. I'll answer your questions tomorrow."

Usagi shrugs and relents. "Alright."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mizuno is waiting for the pair of them at the gates after school. She doesn't say anything when they approach, and Usagi briefly stops by her to nod in acknowledgement. When she walks off the blue-haired girl follows, and Usagi leads them to the park in silence. They stop at the fountain in the center of the park. At this time of the day, when school has just let out, they've got the area to themselves.

Usagi sits on the ledge, Mizuno beside her, and they both look expectantly at Luna sitting before them on the ground. "Alright then, what are your questions?" Luna says, seemingly resigned to her fate.

"What are the Sailor Guardians?" Mizuno immediately begins. "How many of us are there? And who is the Moon Princess?"

Luna sighs. "The Sailor Guardians are the sworn protectors of the Moon Princess and the Moon Kingdom. There are five of you, one for each planet, so –"

"There are nine planets," Mizuno interjects.

"Yes," Luna agrees, "but I speak of only the Inner planets, as you humans have taken to referring to them. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. Those are your comrades."

"Jupiter isn't an Inner planet."

"So we're looking for Venus, Mars, and Jupiter," Usagi interrupts over Mizuno.

"Do you know who they are? Or have any idea of how to find them?" Mizuno asks.

Luna shakes her head. "I don't know anything."

"But you said you felt something about Mizuno?" Usagi interjects curiously.

"Well, yes," Luna agrees. "Sometimes I get a…sensation. I knew there was something different about Ami-chan. But that's not very helpful when it comes to finding the rest."

"Then how do you plan to find them?" Mizuno asks, annoyance creeping into her tone. "Do you have any plan, or were you just going to hope to come across them?" Luna grimaces and Ami scoffs. "That's absolutely brilliant."

"W-well," Luna stutters, more than a little flustered under Mizuno's inquisition. Usagi watches intently, more than content to let them speak. "Now that there's two of you, perhaps the search will be easier now. Not to mention fighting evil."

Mizuno holds up a finger. "That's another thing. What exactly is this 'evil' we're fighting? Where do they come from? Who's behind all this?"

"I'm not sure. I have some ideas," Luna says, looking down at the ground, "but nothing concrete. I need more information."

"Clearly," Mizuno rolls her eyes. "What have you got so far? Where do you even get your information?"

Luna stands and walks around in front of them. "We know who's been behind these attacks lately. He's introduced himself as Jadeite, but aside from that we don't know where he goes or who he works for.

"And we do have a base, with a computer I can gather data on." Then she gives Mizuno a considering look. "But perhaps…" she trails off, and then prepares to jump, flipping in the air as something drops below her. It's a thin blue something, and Usagi and Mizuno both lean forward in curiosity. Then Usagi notices the symbol on its top.

Mizuno picks it up, turning it over in her hands. "Is this symbol supposed to mean this is mine?" she asks Luna, opening it to reveal a screen and keyboard. Usagi's eyes widen when she realizes it's a mini computer, much smaller than any device she's seen on the market lately.

Luna nods. "Yes. I think, with your intelligence, perhaps you can make more sense of the data we have than I can. It's connected to the Moon System's computer, so you should have complete access."

Mizuno presses a button and it turns on. Then she starts fiddling with some of the buttons, slowly growing absorbed. "Hmm," she mutters distractedly, "I'll take a look."

"How do you even do that?" Usagi asks since Mizuno is busy.

"Magic."

"Okay…" she trails off, not really happy with the answer but not surprised by it either. Luna does talk, after all.

"Anything else you'd like to ask me?" Luna asks, settling down again before them.

Mizuno mutters a quiet, "No," still absorbed with the information scrolling through the computer. Usagi shakes her head. "For now."

Luna nods. "Very well then. I'll let you girls get on with your afternoon."


	9. Clocks of Confusion

_Tsukino Usagi_

Despite being Guardians together, after that initial afternoon where they questioned Luna Usagi and Mizuno don't meet up again. Usagi starts noticing the other girl around school much more often, but they keep their distances. Mizuno barely even acknowledges her, and it starts to annoy and worry Usagi. The other girl was already hesitant enough about joining her in the first place, but Usagi feels that the longer they leave her alone the harder it will be to convince her to join them again. Luna shares similar concerns, but neither of them know what to do about it.

Over the next couple of days Usagi almost finds herself hoping that another monster will appear, just so she can have a reason to drag Mizuno back to the Guardians. She gets her wish nearly five days after Mizuno's transformation.

She comes home to find Miharu-san in a cleaning frenzy spanning the whole first floor. The hardwood flooring is shinier than Usagi's ever seen it before, the walls seem to be sparkling, and everything smells of fresh lemon. She looks around incredulously, but before she's even taken a couple of steps Miharu-san herself is appearing around the corner. "Take off your shoes! And make sure they're clean!" she orders, her expression bordering on manic.

Usagi complies without even realizing it. "Sorry," she mutters purely out of habit. Miharu-san, satisfied, heads back to the kitchen where Usagi, when she peeks in, can see her cleaning just about every dish they own. She frowns in confusion. "What's gotten into her?" she muses.

"She's been like this all day," Luna says by Usagi's feet, startling the teen. She looks down at the cat in annoyance, but Luna is intently watching Miharu-san. "She hasn't stopped cleaning since this morning after a conversation with your mom. I don't understand what's gotten into her."

"Maybe she's just on a cleaning kick after Mom told her the place looks messy or something," Usagi suggests as she heads up to her room. Miharu has done this before, Usagi recalls, though that was usually a seasonal thing.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Usagi starts to think that maybe it isn't just Miharu-san when she gets to school the next day and finds the class practically empty just minutes before the bell is about to ring. Then when it actually does, Sakurada-sensei never shows and after 10 minutes of waiting she starts to realize something is definitely wrong. "Where's Sakurada-sensei?" she asks aloud, hoping one of the other students might hear and speculate. It's not like their teacher to be absent, after all.

Umino speaks up. "Oh, she left. Said she had four dates today to get ready for. Dismissed us all ages ago."

"What?" Usagi snaps, standing from her seat. "Then why are we even here? Why are you here if you heard her dismiss us?"

"Well," he grumbles, turning a little red and rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, "I was going to wait for you. I almost left because you were taking so long but I was rewarded for my patience when you finally showed!"

Usagi rolls her eyes and walks out, several other students following her lead. She figures she might as well head home; it's still early enough she can go back to sleep for a while. Well, if Luna lets her. The cat might decide this is the perfect opportunity for her to start training or something like that. Usagi is still concerned about her training, but she feels significantly better with Mizuno fighting beside her, yet another reason why she doesn't want the other girl to leave the Guardians.

When she gets back she doesn't bother calling out a greeting, just in case her family is around and they wonder why she isn't in school. There was a period of time in her first year of middle school where she started skipping school every once in a while, and when her parents found out it got her the worst lecture of her life and nearly three months grounded. She's learned her lesson now.

Luna is surprised to see her when she walks into her room, and though she asks why Usagi is home so soon Usagi is more concerned with what she's looking at on her table. "What is that?" she asks, ignoring the cat's questions.

Luna sighs when she gets no response. "It's Miharu-san's clock," she answers. "The very one your mother bought her yesterday."

"My mom bought her a clock?" Usagi asks, incredulous. Her mom isn't normally the giving type when it comes to her shopping, not even to her children.

"Yes, apparently she bought several," Luna replies. "They've both been acting odd lately, and I wondered if this had anything to do with it."

"Maybe," Usagi agrees, and then she tells the cat about what happened today at school and what she noticed with some of the students. "They're all acting kind of frenzied, aren't they?"

"It's definitely suspicious."

"Hey!" Usagi perks up, an idea popping into her head. "Why don't we take this to Mizuno-san so she can analyze it with her smart little computer? I'm sure it can tell us whether there's something with it and then we'll know for sure."

Luna looks surprised. "That's not a bad idea, Usagi-chan."

Usagi gives the cat a narrow-eyed look. "What's with that expression of yours?"

"Nothing," the cat is quick to reply. "We should go find Ami-chan now." Usagi purses her lips in displeasure but doesn't say anything else, instead picking up the clock and following Luna out of her room. They can take it to Mizuno, but first they've got to find her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They get lucky when they find Mizuno at the same park where they had their first discussion. She isn't at the school when they check there first, and for a second Usagi panics thinking they'll never find her because they definitely don't know where she lives or have any means of contacting her, but they get lucky at Luna's second idea. The genius girl is sitting at the fountain with her nose buried in her supercomputer.

"Mizuno!" Usagi calls out to draw her attention. When the girl looks up there's a bored expression on her face that irks Usagi, but she tries not to let it show.

"What do you want?" she asks once they've walked up to her.

Usagi shows her the clock they took from Miharu-san. "I'm sure you've noticed how everyone's been behaving today. We think this might have something to do with it," she briefly explains.

"And what am I supposed to do with it?" she asks, turning it over in her hands. "You two are the ones with the supernatural experience."

"You can use your supercomputer to run more thorough tests on it than we can," Luna says patiently.

Mizuno gives the computer a considering look. "I'll see what I can do."

Usagi and Luna settle down to wait for Mizuno to finish up as she starts clicking around on the keyboard of her supercomputer. She's completely absorbed in her task and doesn't hear Usagi when she tries to ask about what she's doing – that, or she's just ignoring her entirely. It's a boring twenty minutes or so for Usagi, who ends up looking for shapes in the clouds to ease her boredom.

Finally Mizuno looks up from her computer. "I may have found something." When she realizes Luna and Usagi are paying attention she continues. "There were some odd readings coming from it that I barely managed to analyze, since they vanished almost as soon as I opened the clock. But from what I did find I managed to gather enough data to figure out the clock's purpose. They gather energy, I'd assume by causing all this mania in people and then gathering the energy from all their movements."

"That sounds like Jadeite, all right," Luna remarks. "We have to put a stop to this."

"Have fun you two," Mizuno says. "I'm not going."

"What?" Usagi stops to look back at the other girl, who hasn't moved. "But you're a Guardian. It's our duty."

"Ami-chan, you have to come," Luna says. "You agreed to be a Guardian, and this is part of your responsibilities. If you don't, I'll revoke your access to the Mercury Supercomputer."

Mizuno's eyes narrow at Luna's ultimatum, and Usagi sees her grip tighten minutely on the mini computer in her hand. She seems to debate internally with herself for a minute or two before finally relenting. "Fine," she agrees, and it sounds like it pains her to admit it. "But once I've learned everything I wanted, I won't need this computer anymore. And then you can't make me join you."

"Whatever," Usagi interjects before Luna can say anything. "Let's go. I think I know where the shop is?"

Miraculously, in Usagi's opinion, neither of them says another thing as they follow her. Usagi leads them into the shopping district, though she doesn't know exactly where the shop is. They happen to stumble on it after a couple of minutes wandering around, but the store is closed. "Well, this is inconvenient," Usagi gripes.

"We can sneak in through the back," Mizuno suggests.

"A frontal approach will do, I think," Luna says. "You girls had better transform first, though."

Usagi nods. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

"Mercury Power Make Up!"

As soon as the two of them are changed Usagi reaches for her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action," she says, throwing it at the front door. It opens up a gap large enough for Usagi and Mizuno to slip through, but when she glances back the hole is shut before Luna manages to make it inside. Usagi frowns, concerned. "Should we open it up again for Luna?" she asks Mizuno.

"No," Mizuno says, shaking her head. "If they don't already know we're here then opening it again will definitely tell them. Best to continue as quickly as possible to give them less time to come up with a plan of attack."

Usagi nods. "Alright. Forwards it is then." They take off running down the hall. It's a pretty long hall given the size of the building, Usagi thinks, until she finally sees a door at the end. She and Mercury burst through, entering a large room. The only thing of note inside is a massive grandfather clock standing opposite the window. A woman in a red dress stands before it.

She turns when they enter. "Who are you?" she asks, eyeing them.

"I am Sailor Moon," Usagi says, "Guardian of Love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you."

"And I am Sailor Mercury," Usagi is surprised to hear Mizuno chime in next, "Guardian of Water and Intelligence. Douse yourself in water and repent!"

"I don't know what that means, and I don't care!" she shouts as her form changes. She pales as her hair lengthens, and red vertical slash marks appear through her eyes. A single black star rests on her lower right cheek. "No one can beat the passing of time." She waves her hand and something invisible forces them forward. The grandfather clock before them glows as she and Mizuno are sucked in.

The area they end up in looks like gray fuzz. There's no difference between the ceiling and the floor and Usagi definitely can't see any walls. There's a space behind them that looks like a door back, but before Usagi can reach for it it's being absorbed into the rest of the environment. "What the hell is this?"

"It might be some kind of time warp, if I had to guess," Mizuno replies. She presses at one of the piercings in her left ear and blue goggles appear across her face.

"Woah," Usagi mutters.

Mizuno ignores her and pulls out her minicomputer, typing away at it while she glances around. Usagi has no idea what she's doing but she lets the other girl work in silence, staring around the area herself. She definitely doesn't subtly try touching one of her earrings to see if she'll get cool goggles like that. There's nothing to look at, though, just like there wasn't anything to look at five minutes ago. She tries not to show how bored she is but she can't help fidgeting.

Finally Mizuno speaks up. "We need to go this way to get out." Then she starts walking off. Usagi has no choice but to follow. She has no idea how Mizuno knows where she's going in all this gray fuzz, but it's better than whatever she would've guessed if the other girl actually has a destination in mind.

They walk for however long, until suddenly the scenery changes. Gone is the gray fuzz, replaced with a red, white, and blue streaked area. She looks around curiously, but save for the color change it's almost exactly like the last area. "What the hell is this?" she mutters. "How are we going to get out?"

"It's a time warp, Sailor Moon," Mizuno reiterates, and is that exasperation Usagi detects in her voice? "We'll need to find the monster in order to get out, and according to my readings she's this way. Unless you have a better idea?"

Usagi makes vague grumbling sounds but doesn't outright reply. Mizuno seems to understand anyways and starts walking. Usagi trails dutifully behind, bored out of her mind. All the other monster's she's fought so far were way more interesting than this one is. She can't even appreciate the monster's time powers because she isn't a nerd like Mizuno, who's probably having a blast using her computer and goggles. Why doesn't she have goggles?

While she contemplates asking Luna how she can get some, Usagi feels an odd sensation as she walks, only really noticing it when Mizuno seems to grow taller. "Hey, what's going on?" she asks, and then her eyes widen as she hears how high her voice has gotten. But it does catch Mizuno's attention, who looks back at her.

"What the hell?" she exclaims, looking at her computer and typing away furiously. Usagi looks down at herself and realizes that it wasn't Mizuno who got taller, but her who got smaller, or perhaps younger, since her Guardian uniform is massively oversized on her small figure. "It's just the fluctuating time in this space," Mizuno says moments later, calmer. "If you keep moving you should return to normal at some point."

"At some point?" she repeats incredulously, her voice even higher.

"Just keep moving," Mizuno instructs, turning back.

Usagi struggles to hurry after her, her short legs and the clothes hanging off of her giving her trouble. But just as the other girl said she would, in a couple of feet she feels that sensation again and starts getting taller. When she's back to her normal size she breathes a sigh of relief, noting Mizuno's glance back at her. "We're all okay back here," she informs her.

"Good," Mizuno replies. "I think we're almost there."

Just after she says this the scenery changes again around them, forming green and yellow columns that remind Usagi of organ pipes. Across from them the woman stands, watching. "So you've found me," she says, grinning. "I'm surprised, but it shouldn't be much longer before time starts to catch up to you."

"What do you mean?" Usagi asks.

The monster gives her a considering look. "I think you'll be the one to go first," she says cryptically.

"Hey," Usagi says, stepping forward, but as she does her movements start to become sluggish and unresponsive to her commands, until she can't move a single thing. "What –" She suddenly breaks off as her lips no longer respond. She shoots a wide-eyed look to Mizuno, who's glancing all over her with those goggles of hers activated.

"Won't be much longer until all of your organs start shutting down as well," the monster cackles.

"Mercury Bubble Spray!"

Mist fills the area, obscuring Usagi's sight of the monster and even Mizuno. She nearly panics, wondering if the other girl has abandoned her, until she feels a touch on her arm. Her eyes dart over to catch a glimpse of her companion. "Hopefully this will give us some time if she can't see us to attack us, but I'm starting to feel the effects as well and if we don't get out soon we're toast, Sailor Moon," she whispers urgently.

'Shit,' Usagi thinks, because that's all she can manage at this time. Breathing is starting to become a struggle as well and she'd probably start to panic if she had the air to spare for it.

The mist Mizuno generated is starting to thin and Usagi knows their time is running out. She'd thought defeating these monsters would get easier with Sailor Mercury at her side but apparently not even the two of them are enough to keep up with these minions of Jadeite. She almost feels bad for dragging Mizuno into this; of the two of them, Mizuno was really the one with the future, but now that'll never come to be. And what will Luna think when neither of them ever returns?

All of a sudden the monster's scream breaks through Usagi's morose thoughts and she jerks her attention forward. The mist vanishes entirely, along with the odd environment, and with joy Usagi realizes she can move again. She looks around incredulously, finding Mizuno behind her able to move as well. "The clock," she says, jerking her head towards the grandfather clock from the store. "It's broken."

"Sailor Moon! Now it's your turn; finish her," she hears a voice say, and Usagi doesn't hesitate.

"Moon Tiara Action!" The tiara goes sailing towards the despairing monster unhindered, striking her through her stomach. She screams again before turning into dust, and when she vanishes so does the building around them. Usagi looks around incredulously until they're found standing in the lot where the building once stood.

"Well that's new," she remarks as Luna bounds up to them, seemingly pleased to see them.

"Girls! I'm glad you're okay!"

"Mostly," Mizuno grumbles, before rounding on Usagi. "Who was that guy? Is he another Guardian? He must've thrown the rose that broke us free, but why wasn't he there from the beginning?"

Usagi shrugs. "I call him Tuxedo Mask, but he's not one of us," she explains. "He just shows up every once in a while and helps me out sometimes. I'd probably be dead if it weren't for him."

Mizuno scoffs. "That's not exactly comforting. We nearly died back in there."

"We'll really need to start focusing on your training," Luna remarks. "This is far too many close calls for my preference."

"This is insane," Mizuno mutters.

"But you promised," Usagi reminds her. "And hey, if we die, we'll die together."

Mizuno rolls her eyes. "Wonderful." Then she starts to head off, her Sailor Mercury uniform fading back into her school uniform. "I'm leaving. I have things to do."

"I suppose we can't ask for much more than that," Luna sighs as they watch her go.

"At least she was here in the first place. I'd have had a lot more trouble without her, that's for sure."

Luna nods in agreement, though Usagi is learning not to take it personally. "We need to hurry and find the rest of your comrades. I fear the two of you won't be enough, soon."


	10. The Cursed Bus

_Tsukino Usagi_

Mizuno stops by her class after school the next Monday, and Usagi raises a curious brow at the other girl's presence. Aside from the afternoon they spent questioning Luna, neither has had any interaction with the other outside of fighting monsters, and there's only been one so far. But before Usagi can ask what she needs, Mizuno is speaking. "I found something that might be interesting," she says.

Usagi isn't too sure what to do with that information. "Okay?"

Mizuno rolls her eyes. "Come on."

So she does, following the girl out of the school. "Where are we going?" she asks as they get on a bus, taking seats. As soon as they're sitting Mizuno pulls out that tiny computer Luna had given her and starts clicking away.

"The computer has been receiving some odd scans from one of the Tokyo districts," she replies absently. "We're going to check it out."

"What do you expect we'll find," Usagi asks, looking out the window.

Mizuno shrugs beside her. "I don't know. But I'm hoping we'll get some better readings to confirm my theories."

"Did I really need to come along for this?" Usagi asks, barely keeping the whine from her voice.

"It's a Sailor Guardian thing, I figured you should be involved," Mizuno replied. "Where's that feline companion of yours?"

Now it's Usagi's turn to shrug. "Don't know." Luna had been mysteriously absent this morning, but Usagi just enjoyed the silence. It was rare that the cat was ever gone so early in the morning.

"Have you heard of the Demon 6 PM Bus?" Mizuno asks out of the blue moments later, startling Usagi from her daydreaming.

'She sure is chatty today,' Usagi thinks to herself while mulling over the girl's question. "No."

"Have you heard of the recent kidnappings?" Mizuno asks instead.

"No."

Her companion sighs, and Usagi can see her roll her eyes in the window's reflection. "Several buses full of passengers have gone missing lately," she starts to explain. "All of them have been on the Sendaizaka-ue line, at exactly 6 PM. That's why people are saying it's the Demon Bus."

Usagi's eyes widen. "Wait, isn't that the line we're on?"

Mizuno grins, and it's the liveliest expression Usagi's seen on her face yet. "Indeed." She stands and moves to get off the bus when it stops, leaving Usagi rushing against people to follow. They get off, and Usagi realizes they're right at the point where five roads intersect. Across from them is the entrance to a shrine. "And this is the last stop before 6 PM, where everyone has gone missing from."

Hearing this, Usagi looks around again. She doesn't get any weird vibes from the area, but then again, her senses aren't as nearly fine-tuned as Mizuno's computer must be. "Is this where your readings have been coming from?" she asks, just for confirmation.

"Sort of," Mizuno replies absently, already buried in her computer as she clicks away. Usagi makes to walk away, and is nearly surprised when the girl starts trailing her. Must not be super important that she stays by the stop, then.

She heads into the shrine just because it seems the most interesting. There's a large building directly across from the shrine's entrance, a shorter building off to the left where Usagi sees a group of girls, and a tiny hut off to the right. A sign in front of the building on the left proclaims charms and amulets for sale, which must be what the girls are looking at. Usagi wanders over that way to look for herself. The girls move off to the side when they see Usagi approach, giving her some space as she looks. There's no shrine helper inside, though, so Usagi doesn't think she'll be able to buy one today.

A door to her right slams open, though Usagi doesn't pay it any attention. She's still checking out the charms, wondering if she should maybe get one for studying, when she hears someone shout, "Evil spirit, be exorcised!" Usagi glances to the side and sees a girl walking towards her. She's wearing the uniform of a shrine maiden and looks angry, from what Usagi can tell the moment before the girl slams a thin paper into her forehead. She lets out a surprised shout as the hit pushes her back onto the ground, some unknown force dragging her unconscious.

.

_Mizuno Ami_

Ami jumps when she hears Tsukino's shout, finally looking up from her computer in time to see her get hit with the girl's paper and go falling to the ground, unconscious. She looks incredulously between her companion and the shrine maiden, who looks almost as shocked as her given she's the one who attacked in the first place. "Oh no," she mutters. "I thought I sensed an evil aura…but she's just a girl." She turns to Ami. "Can you help me move her inside? I'm so sorry."

"Uh, sure," she replies, pocketing her supercomputer. The girl grabs at Tsukino's legs and Ami grabs her underneath her arms, and together they both manage to get her off the ground. Ami follows the other girl as she leads the way into the larger of the buildings, down the hall to a private room. By the time they lay Tsukino on a futon Ami is almost breathing heavily. Manual labor is not her thing.

"I'm so sorry," the girl apologizes again, though Ami waves her off. She's not overly concerned about Tsukino. They're not even friends.

As the girl starts bustling about for some towels to take care of Tsukino, Ami pulls out the computer again when she hears it beep, a sign the programs she's running have picked up something. She pays the girl no mind as she starts reading through the results. The computer has certainly recognized something abnormal, though Ami doesn't think it's the same thing she was looking at before. They're almost…opposite, if Ami had to describe it. She decides it's worth mentioning just as the door opens, another shrine helper pushing a tray forward.

"The towels you requested, Hino-san," he says, his voice low and soothing.

Ami is distracted from the man when her computer picks up something entirely different from what she'd just received. Her eyes narrow in confusion, before widening as she glances sharply to the side. She tries to get a good look at him but he's already sliding the door shut, and much of his face is hidden in the first place. Without a doubt, Ami knows he had something to do with what just happened.

Suddenly, Tsukino gasps and sits up, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy as she stares wide-eyed at the now-shut door. "Who –?" she mutters brokenly, glancing around the room until her gaze catches on Ami. It flicks towards the door briefly and Ami nods, sure the other girl has subconsciously noticed something about him as well.

"Ah, good. You're awake," the shrine maiden remarks, drawing both of their attentions.

"What the hell did you attack me for?" Usagi snaps, clearly annoyed. Ami glances back down at her computer, not interested in getting in between what is sure to become an argument. The readings have gone back to the odd values she had noticed earlier before the man's interruption.

"I'm sorry," the girl apologizes once again, to Ami's annoyance. "I didn't mean to attack you, per se, I just felt a…demonic presence and reacted. I'm terribly sorry you were caught up in this."

Tsukino seems to mull the girl's apology over for several moments. "What do you mean you felt a demonic presence?" she finally asks, anger seemingly forgotten. Ami is surprised; it isn't how she expected the girl to react, but Tsukino seems full of surprises. But she has to admit, she is a little curious herself. Perhaps it'll explain why she's been getting odd readings from her.

The girl looks off to the side, biting gently at her lip before she begins to explain. "Ever since I was young, I've…been able to sense the supernatural. Just little things, odd feelings every now and then. Neither my grandpa nor I have ever been able to explain it, but it's given me a…reputation, here at the shrine.

"Anyways, it's been getting stronger lately, and I've been trying to divine the reason why in my fires, but I just can't seem to figure it out," she says, frustration seeping into her tone. "I don't know why I reacted the way I did around you. You don't seem particularly evil to me," she says with an apologetic smile.

"I should hope not," Tsukino mutters. Then she starts to stand. "Well, thanks for taking care of me, but I think we should get going."

"Of course," the girl agrees, standing as well. Ami stands as well, pocketing her computer once again. "I'm Hino Rei, and again I'm s –"

"Please don't apologize again," Ami interjects, annoyed. She walks right out of the room under their incredulous stares, no longer in the mood to deal with them.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

She watches Mizuno leave, stunned, before turning back to Hino, who's flushing slightly from the other girl's admonishment. She almost feels bad for her. "Don't mind her," she tells her. "That was Mizuno Ami, by the way, and I'm Tsukino Usagi."

"It's nice to meet you," Hino says with a bow.

"Likewise," Usagi replies politely. Smiling apologetically, she starts heading towards the door. "I should probably catch up with Mizuno before she leaves me. Goodbye."

The other girl mimics her farewell after a moment's pause and Usagi makes her way out of the building. When she doesn't spot Mizuno in the shrine courtyard she sighs and heads back down the stairs, hoping to catch the other girl before she boards a bus. She does spot her off to the side of the stairs at the very bottom, her nose back in her computer. "That was kind of rude," she remarks.

"Do I look like I care?" Mizuno retorts.

Usagi sighs. "Did you get any good readings?" she asks instead of arguing. Mizuno could probably talk circles around her anyways, and it's not like she particularly cares either.

"I got several very interesting readings," she says. "Speaking of, I got the most interesting ones when that man appeared." Usagi's eyes narrow as she recalls the intense feeling that jolted her back to consciousness. Mizuno must catch the change in her expression because she asks, "You sensed it, didn't you?"

Nodding, Usagi tries to explain. "I know that feeling. It was Jadeite."

Mizuno's eyes widen in surprise. "The mastermind behind all these monsters?" she asks. "Are you sure? What does he look like, do you know?"

"Blond, blue eyes, gray uniform, red details," she rattles off, vividly recalling the single battle she's had with him so far. She watches Mizuno's reaction as she speaks.

"He was blond, definitely," she mutters. "Not sure about the eyes, and he was wearing an outfit not dissimilar to Hino's." Usagi shrugs, not too disappointed. It was probably a far stretch anyways. "But I'm willing to believe your gut feeling in this," Mizuno continues, to her surprise. When she sees the expression on Usagi's face she speaks again, slightly defensively. "It's the only thing that would explain the odd readings I got. And they're not the only ones, either."

Usagi cocks her head to the side. "What else was there?"

"I think the girl – Hino – was giving off some odd readings as well."

"Her?" Usagi asks, but then she thinks back. "I guess? I didn't really get anything from her. But it is interesting that she has these supernatural abilities."

"Hmm, I thought that interesting as well."

"Do you think she might be the princess, or a fellow Guardian?"

Mizuno shrugs. "We'll have to ask Luna for sure, I think. Be sure to report all of this to Luna tonight."

"What?" Usagi blurts, quickly looking towards the other girl. "Why me? They're your readings."

"I have things to do after this," is Mizuno's excuse.

"Well, why are you still waiting here then?" Usagi grumbles.

"The bus," she replies, glancing at her watch. "It's almost 6 PM, and I want to see if the Demon Bus rumors are true. Look," she says, nodding her head to the line of girls at the bus stop that Usagi is just now noticing. "See how they all have amulets from the shrine?" she says, and sure enough Usagi can spot little red and blue charms hanging off their bags or in their hands. "I'd be willing to bet they're related. We just have to wait for the bus to see."

"I'm not getting on," Usagi is quick to proclaim.

"Not today," Mizuno adds, unhelpfully. Usagi would like to say not ever, but if the other girl's theory turns out to be true – and it likely will be, Mizuno is too smart – then they'll probably have to get on to fight whatever monster is responsible for this ploy.

They wait quietly at the stop now, their discussion apparently over. Usagi doesn't mind. She has plenty to think of now, like the fact that Jadeite is working at the shrine. Part of her wants to go and confront him, maybe take him by surprise for a better chance at success. She has Mizuno – Sailor Mercury – now, perhaps she's stand a better chance. But she also remembers how last time went. Usagi left that fight with a couple broken ribs, and she doesn't want a repeat performance.

She's just about to ask Mizuno what she thinks when the other girls shushes her, staring intently down the street. When Usagi looks she sees what the other girl is watching. "The Demon 6 PM Bus," she mutters. "You think that's it?"

"Obviously. Can you see the driver?"

She shakes her head. "Not really."

"Damn. I was wondering if it might be that guy. Jadeite."

"I doubt it," Usagi mutters. "Of all the monsters I've faced before he's only been directly involved twice."

"Two of nine aren't bad odds," Mizuno argues, "especially given we've seen him at the shrine." Usagi opens her mouth to retort, but Mizuno speaks over her. "Watch, they're getting on the bus. They look like they're in a trance."

The line of girls starts filing on the bus, filling the seats in the front first. As soon as they're seated they slump to the sides, against the window or their friends. Once they're all aboard the bus closes its doors and starts driving. Usagi watches in tense anticipation as it heads for the intersection of the five roads. Everything seems normal, but then suddenly a black hole appears above the road. They watch, stunned, as the bus starts to fly off the road straight into the hole, disappearing completely before the hole itself vanishes.

"Damn, I wish I'd had my goggles for that," Mizuno mutters.

"All those girls just vanished," Usagi breathes incredulously.

"We need to get on the next bus." Usagi glances askance at Mizuno. "If we want to get those girls back, we'll have to be on the bus. I can't track where the portal goes from here; we'll never find them otherwise, and I'd be willing to bet whatever is taking them is there as well."

"I suppose you're right," Usagi reluctantly agrees. "I'll tell Luna what happened tonight, so tomorrow be ready." Mizuno nods, and with their plan of attack decided the girls head their separate ways for the evening.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Usagi told Luna what she and Mizuno found that afternoon when she got home later that evening. The cat agreed that getting on the bus was their best bet, hence the reason Usagi is returning – this time plus cat but minus Mizuno, who said she has something to do and will meet them by six – to Sendaizaka-ue after school. The bus stop looks unassuming and innocent in the 4 PM light, but it doesn't stop Luna from poking around the area for a while.

Finally she trots back to Usagi. "Let's go check out this shrine maiden you mentioned," she suggests. Usagi shrugs and leads the way up to the shrine. It's emptier than it was the day before, but Usagi immediately spots Hino sweeping by the main building and makes her way over to the other girl, Luna tailing her.

"Hey, Hino-san!" she calls out, feigning more cheer than she feels to draw the other girl's attention.

"Oh, um, Tsukino-san, was it? Hello," she greets when Usagi and Luna walk up to her. "And who's this?" she asks, looking down at Luna. She crouches to rub gently at her head before straightening again.

"My cat, Luna," Usagi answers. "She likes to follow me around sometimes."

"She's cute. But can I help you with something?" the girl asks, looking at Usagi curiously.

"Oh, no," Usagi shakes her head. "Not really. I was just bored, so I figured I'd come back and get an amulet or something since I couldn't yesterday."

"Ah, my apologies."

"No no," Usagi waves her off with a friendly chuckle. "It wasn't your fault. There was just no one at the shop when I stopped by, that's all."

Hino nods thoughtfully, though she still looks sheepish. "That's usually Jed's responsibility, running the shop. Ever since he's arrived we've been selling a lot more amulets than usual," she remarks, frowning.

Usagi cocks her head, curious. Jed must be the alias Jadeite is going by, and Usagi wants to know everything she can about him on the off-chance it'll help. "Is that a bad thing?" she asks innocently.

Hino shakes her head. "No, not really. I don't know, there's just something about Jed that I just…don't like."

"Do you think he has something to do with that demonic presence you said you sensed yesterday?" Usagi asks.

Hino's eyes immediately drop as she flushes in embarrassment. "You're making fun of me," she mutters, starting to turn away to resume her chores. Usagi is a little taken aback by the sudden disinterest and she throws her hands up innocently.

"No, of course not!" she blurts out. "I'm genuinely curious. I think it's cool, really, that you can sense this kind of stuff. Like, what's it feel like? When do you get these feelings?"

Hino is quiet for a moment as she evaluates Usagi's earnestness. She must believe her, though, because she starts answering her questions. "I'm not sure about Jed," she finally says. "I'll admit I have been feeling something more often since he's been here, but I can't tell if it's related to him or not. It's just…this heavy feeling I get, like something is…off about the world. I don't really know how to describe it, I just know."

"Hmm," Usagi nods, thinking. She's never really encountered something like that unless she really concentrates. Hino must be special, Usagi just doesn't know in what way. But it is something to think about, that these feelings of hers appeared after Jadeite did. They must be related. "Isn't it curious, how Jade – Jed," Usagi begins, nearly calling Jadeite by his real name, "appears, and then you get these demonic feelings, all around the time these kidnappings start happening? Do you think it's related?"

Hino blinks, frowning. "We have nothing to do with those kidnappings. The police have already searched the shrine and questioned us," she says, but there's some steel to her tone, more than Usagi has heard from the girl yet.

Usagi shakes her head. "No, that's not what I meant. I don't think you are and I didn't mean to imply that," she says apologetically, and Hino looks sheepish for her reaction. "But don't you think…maybe there's a chance these kidnappings are…supernatural?" Her tone lowers conspiratorially. "You know the legend about Sendaizaka-ue's mysterious sixth hill, and the demon bus? Perhaps people really are being…spirited away."

"Do you think it's possible?" Hino asks, her eyes wide. "It can't be."

Usagi shrugs. "Maybe. I mean, if you can sense demonic presences, then maybe it's possible there are greater forces at work kidnapping these girls, or something like that."

"I-I don't know," Hino admits. "I've never considered where my abilities came from, I've always had them. But, if there are other things out there…" she trails off, clearly deep in thought.

Usagi suddenly notices how dark it's getting and checks her watch. There's almost 20 minutes until the 6 PM bus will arrive, and she doesn't want to miss it. She'd also like to meet up with Mizuno beforehand to come up with a plan, so she'll have to take her leave of Hino. "I'm going to get on the bus," she tells the girl, abruptly interrupting her thoughts. Hino looks concerned.

"What, no! Tsukino-san, if what you say is true, then you'll be in danger," she argues.

Usagi smiles in an attempt to reassure the girl. "I don't really have a choice," she replies cryptically. "See you later, Hino-san," she says in farewell.

"Rei," she says. "You can call me Rei."

Usagi pauses and gives the girl a considering look. "Then you can call me Usagi, Rei-chan," she says with a small, more genuine smile. "I've got to get going now." She and Luna leave under Rei's watchful gaze.

When they get to the bus station there's another line of girls, all bearing amulets and charms from Hikawa Shrine. Mizuno is nowhere to be found. Usagi checks her watch again, and there's only ten minutes until the bus is meant to arrive. "Do you think she's going to show?"

"You had better hope so," Luna remarks.

They join the end of the line to wait. Usagi checks her watch almost twice every minute, counting down until 6 PM. Mizuno is still a no-show, and the closer it gets to the demon bus's arrival the more nervous Usagi gets. She just found a comrade in Sailor Mercury; she doesn't want to go back to fighting by herself.

By the time 6 PM rolls around, it doesn't seem like she has a choice. She can already see the bus approaching, and she's the only one present. 'Not good,' she thinks to herself as girls start to board. Finally it's her turn. Usagi hesitates, long enough that the driver turns to look at her.

The driver's face is angular and sharp, with her eyes hidden in the shadow of her cap. She smirks and her canines glint sharply. "Make a choice, girl," she spits.

"Usagi-chan," Luna hisses, nudging at the back of her legs.

Usagi stumbles forward and the driver takes the opportunity to yank her onto the bus with a tight grip on her forearm. "Wait, I don't –!" The door shuts behind her with a loud snap and Usagi feels like her fate is sealed. She's tossed into the back when the bus starts to move, and she watches as the black hole opens up in front of the bus. They're heading right towards it and part of Usagi thinks she should try to change their course or attack the driver, but then she recalls what Mizuno said the night before. If they want to find the kidnapped girls they need to get inside, so she holds off.

She closes her eyes when they approach the hole and tries to think of how jealous Mizuno will be when she finds out she's missed the opportunity to go through a warp hole like this. When she opens them back up the scenery is entirely different. The city is gone, replaced by an empty blue and gray nothing. They fly towards the ground, and looking out the window Usagi sees all the other buses that have already vanished.

After they hit the ground with a jolt the driver immediately leaves. Usagi debates for a moment whether to follow, but ultimately decides not to. This is definitely a problem for Sailor Moon, not Tsukino Usagi. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

.

_Hino Rei_

She watches the girl and her pet leave for a moment, concerned for her new acquaintance. Though she's only met her twice now, Rei finds that she doesn't want Usagi to end up missing like all these other girls. She starts to step forward to call out for the other girl, but when she does she feels her foot hit something on the ground. Rei looks down to find a pen that Usagi must've dropped. She bends down to pick it up. The top half is gold, with a wide top encircled by a gold band. The center piece has four stones in the cardinal corners, each a different color. There's a gold band separating the bottom red half from the top, a small red stone in the front. 'It's pretty,' she thinks, pocketing the pen as she comes to a decision.

Determined to do something, Rei heads straight for the ceremonial flame they keep constantly burning. She has to know if Usagi's suspicions are right, and perhaps the flames will tell her something now. The ceremonial flame burns large and warm in front of Rei, but she pays the heat no mind. She's long grown used to it, and finds the warmth comforting during these rituals of hers. With a determined nod she claps her hands together in front of her, closing her eyes in concentration. "Stay focused…" she mutters. 'What's going on?' she thinks to herself. 'What is going to happen?'

An intense feeling strikes her and she opens her eyes, gazing deep into the fire. An image flashes in the flames, growing clearer the longer she stares. She can see a man with blond hair and blue eyes, in a gray uniform she doesn't recognize, though it looks distinctly military. But there's just something about the man…with a start she realizes he looks a lot like Jed.

She recalls Usagi's remark about the suspicious feelings that had popped up around the time when he appeared. She had dismissed the other girl's suspicions about them being related, but now she isn't so sure. Frowning, Rei stands. If she wants to know for sure, she'll have to confront Jed herself.

Mustering up her courage, Rei makes her way to the spare room where Jed has been staying, hoping he'll be there. When she opens the door, she's pleased to find him sitting in the corner, his back to her. "Jed!" she snaps. "What kind of game are you playing here? Why do I get such a bad feeling around you?" He chuckles, and it's certainly not the response she expected. She falters. "W-what's so funny?"

"You, Hino-san," he says, finally turning towards her. When he shows his face Rei has to hold back a gasp; it's the exact same one she saw in the flames. "You may make a beautiful shrine maiden, but there's no way your feeble powers are any match for mine." He stands and starts stalking toward her, Rei matching his steps forward with her own steps back. She barely manages to maintain eye contact for a moment before she turns to run away, only to see the door slam shut before her eyes. She turns back around with a fearful gasp to find Jadeite steps away.

He raises a hand and gently caresses her cheek, though something makes him pause. Rei frowns in confusion, momentarily distracted, until Jed's face twists in anger and he grabs roughly at her neck. "Now that you know I'm afraid I can't let you stay alive. You can give your energy to the Dark Kingdom along with the rest of the girls," he growls. He throws his hand other hand out and a dark swirling portal opens up beside them. Rei eyes it nervously, and before she can even scream he's throwing her into it.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

Usagi steps out of the bus once her transformation is completed. The bus driver from before is gone, and in her place stands a monster. Usagi tries to project confidence as she steps down, though she's nervous as hell. "I am Sailor Moon, Guardian of Love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" she proclaims.

"You'll give up your energy is what you'll do!" the monster retorts, throwing out a hand. Usagi is roughly thrown back into the bus by some unknown force, knocking the breath from her lungs. Usagi gasps and struggles to remain on her feet.

She reaches for her tiara, intending to end this quickly, when they're both sidetracked by the appearance of a smaller black hole almost right above the monster. A figure falls out that the monster immediately catches, wrapping an arm around the person's neck to hold them upright. Usagi gasps when she recognizes her. "Rei-chan!" she shouts, and the girl jerks.

"Let me go!" she shouts.

"I don't think so!" the monster growls. "How are you going to fight me now that I have your friend, Sailor Moon?"

Rei stops fidgeting, finally noticing that there's someone else around. "Sailor Moon?" She looks over at Usagi, and her eyes seem to widen in recognition. "Usagi-chan?"

Usagi is taken aback by how easily the other girl has recognized her – and they barely know each other – but she tries to smile reassuringly. "Don't worry, Rei-chan. I'll take care of this." She turns a determined look on the monster in front of her and charges forward. She still knows some karate, at the very least, and she has to protect Rei now.

"Don't even think about it!" The monster raises a hand and the force hits Usagi again, shoving her even harder this time so she goes through the bus windows and crumples against the opposite wall amidst shards of glass.

Usagi groans and shifts, though it pains her to do so. She knows without a doubt her back is scraped up, but she can't rest. Rei is still out there with the monster, and the girl definitely can't fight it herself. Using the wall for handholds she manages to stand, grimacing as she makes her way back off the bus.

Rei is still struggling with the monster, trying to wiggle her way out of its grip. She's kicking and scratching, but nothing is working against the monster. Usagi grits her teeth. She has to get out there and help, but she doesn't know what to do. This isn't how their plan was going at all. Usagi moves to step forward, when she notices something on Rei that has her pausing.

There's a symbol burning on her forehead, and Usagi knows that her earlier thoughts about Rei being someone special are correct. She struggles to try and think of what Luna would do in this situation. She hadn't exactly been paying attention when Luna discovered Mizuno was Sailor Mercury. Which one of them is Rei even supposed to be? "Rei-chan!" she calls out. "The pen! Did you pick up a pen?" she asks, hoping to whatever gods exist that Luna picked up on Rei's powers too.

Rei, surprised, stops long enough to dig into her shirt and pull something out. "This thing?" she asks.

"What's this?" the monster interrupts.

Usagi panics. If the monster takes the pen then Rei won't be able to fight. "Call out its power if you want to fight!" she tells Rei. Then she tries to distract the monster. "Hey, you shitty driver! Your fight is with me. Forget about her!" When the monster raises her hand this time Usagi immediately dodges to the right. Hopefully she can buy some time for Rei to figure things out, if she doesn't manage to defeat it on her own.

.

_Hino Rei_

She watches as Sailor Moon dodges the monster's attacks, though it manages to keep a stern grip on her shoulders. 'It's gotta relax at some point,' she thinks, and when the monster becomes off-balance from trying to follow Sailor Moon's movements she twists, using her whole body weight to push herself out of the monster's grip. It doesn't seem too concerned when she rolls away, probably thinking her unimportant compared to the one in front of her. Rei takes the opportunity to think over what Sailor Moon told her earlier.

'Call out its power if I want to fight?' the thinks, confused. It looks like a normal pen, though the symbol on top had caught her attention earlier. If she recalls her classes correctly, it's the astrological sign for Mars. 'Power…' Rei thinks. 'Does she mean I have a power like Sailor Moon?' Debating momentarily, she takes a chance.

"Mars Power!" she calls out.

A warmth not unlike her ceremonial flame fills her, and when she opens her eyes her miko robes are gone, replaced by a uniform similar to Sailor Moon's. She's wearing a leotard now, with a red skirt and collar. There's a purple bow on her front, white gloves on her arms, and tiny red heels instead of her socks and sandals.

"What's this? There's more of you?" the monster shouts, looking between her and Sailor Moon.

"I am Sailor Mars," Rei says, the words coming naturally to her, "Guardian of Fire and Passion. In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!"

"You –!" the monster chokes out, but before it can move Rei is launching her own attack while it's still caught off-guard.

"Mars Fire Soul!" Fire bursts from her fingers, launching straight towards the monster. It screams as it burns, but Rei turns her attention to her comrade. "Now, Sailor Moon! Finish it!"

She nods. "Moon Tiara Action!" Her aim is true, and when the monster is hit it starts to turn to ash within moments.

Rei is just relieved everything is finally over. She walks over to the other girl. "What is this? What's going on?" she asks, beginning to get overwhelmed. She has so many questions she doesn't even know where to start.

"I'll answer all your questions, or well, Luna will," she says, "but we need to get everyone out of here first. I don't know how long this space will remain since that thing is dead and I really don't want to die here."

"How do we get out then?" Rei asks, but the worried expression on Sailor Moon's face does nothing to reassure her, nor do her words.

"I have no idea."

.

_Mizuno Ami_

Ami runs up to the bus station ten minutes after six to find it completely empty. "Shit," she mutters. She'd had a meeting with the president of the computer club – that she definitely wasn't going to join – and it ended up running later than she'd expected. Tsukino must've gotten on the bus without her.

"Ami-chan!" she hears a voice call her, and she looks up to find Luna running towards her. "Usagi-chan got on the bus and now they've vanished."

"Shit," she repeats. She paces back and forth near the bus stop as she tries to think, and then pulls out her computer. "I'll bet that idiot hasn't given any thought as to how she'll get back once she defeats the monsters," she mutters as she starts clicking away. She had come up with some vague ideas of a plan last night, but now that she's not even in the other dimension they'll have to be scrapped in light of this new situation. She takes in the energy readings of the area, trying to see if she can pinpoint Tsukino's in the distortion. If she can get a lock on her position, perhaps they can link up their powers and teleport her back or something. It's a stretch, but it's the only thing Ami can think of.

"There's so much energy I can't properly determine which is hers," she growls.

"Usagi-chan," Luna mutters, her voice full of worry.

Ami would never admit it either, but she is a little concerned for the other girl. It's one thing to fight monsters on your own when you're somewhere you know, but it's a whole other game to fight unknown enemies in an unknown territory. She knows Tsukino isn't as stupid as she acts, but the other girl can't afford to make mistakes when she has no backup, and Ami knows how likely that will be.

"If she uses an attack I might be able to identify where the spike of energy comes from," she muses, 'but that would mean Tsukino inviting a fight all by herself,' she finishes in her head, grimacing at the idea.

Her computer beeps, drawing her out of her thoughts. The target has stopped, showing a confirmation of Tsukino's position, but it's not the only one there. Another nearly as powerful has shown up right beside hers with similar readings, and though her first instinct is to assume it's the enemy they're too similar for her to really believe it, upon second thought. Another dozen or so smaller energies lay nearby. 'Well, here goes nothing,' Ami thinks, drawing her transformation pen.

'Sailor Moon,' she thinks, willing Tsukino to feel her power, 'if you can hear this, then we need to connect our energies to form a link back to our world. It's the only way to get you out of there. Please, if you can hear me say anything.' She waits a moment, tense, before trying again.

'Sailor Moon,' she pleads, 'Sailor Moon, for once in your goddamn life think and pay attention. You'll never be able to make it back if we can't link our energies. I didn't think you wanted to die. For fuck's sake, Sailor Moon, answer me!'

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

'For fuck's sake, Sailor Moon, answer me!'

Usagi pauses to look behind her, frowning. "What is it?" Rei asks her, cocking her head as if to listen.

"Nothing," she replies after a moment's pause. "I thought I heard Mizuno yell at me."

"The girl from before?"

Usagi nods. "Yeah. She's Sailor Mercury, our comrade."

"Maybe she was then," Rei says hesitantly. When Usagi gives her a look she elaborates. "Maybe she was trying to communicate mentally with you, since we have no other means to talk, I don't think. Perhaps she's trying to help us get out."

"You might be right!" Usagi gasps. "Hold on, I'll try and reply." She closes her eyes in concentration and tries to think of Mizuno. 'Sailor Mercury, are you there? I can hear you. Do you know how we can get back?'

'Fucking finally, of course I do,' Usagi hears Mizuno reply in her head, and she grins.

"Connection confirmed," she tells Rei, before closing her eyes to focus again. 'How do we get out?'

'We'll need to form a mental bridge between us, and hopefully combine our powers to draw you back to me.'

'Okay, I'll let Sailor Mars know and then I'll tell you when we're ready. We've found all the missing girls too.'

There's a short pause before Mizuno replies. 'I'll wait until you get back to ask what the hell that means. Fine, do whatever and let me know. You shouldn't stay there any longer than necessary; that dimension is unstable.'

'Right.' Usagi opens her eyes to find Rei watching intently. "We've got to mentally link up and then with our combined powers we can…teleport, I guess, back to our dimension."

"But what about all the girls?" she asks.

Usagi turns to glance around at the buses around them. "We'll have to find some way to mentally connect to them, or they won't be able to get back. I have no clue in hell how to go about doing that, though."

Rei chews thoughtfully on her lip for a moment before offering, "Here, let me try. Then I'll connect to you when I'm ready." She closes her eyes, her brows furrowing in concentration, and Usagi waits patiently for the other girl to do her thing. For all her smarts, mental things like this have never been Usagi's strong point, so she's happy to leave it all to Rei. The other girl already has supernatural abilities; hopefully she'll find this just as easily.

Minutes later, Usagi jumps when she hears a new voice in her head. 'Okay, I'm ready.' It sounds exactly like Rei and Usagi knows she's done what she needed to.

'Alright, Mercury,' she calls out to them both, including their third companion. 'We're ready.'

'On three, we'll use Sailor Planet Power. Ready? One, two, three!'

Three voices echo, 'Sailor Planet Power,' in her mind, and all at once a warm feeling fills Usagi to the brim. She feels weightless for a second, but then everything comes crashing back down and she feels her legs collapse on her. The jolt startles her into opening her eyes, and with a flash of surprise Usagi realizes she's looking down on asphalt. Then she looks up and recognizes the bus stop in Sendaizaka-ue.

"You did it!" a voice calls out before a warm and furry object crashes into Usagi. She clutches at Luna instinctively.

"Yeah," she says with a smile. "We made it back." She looks over to find Mizuno with a proud smirk on her face, though she looks nearly as exhausted as Usagi feels.

"And now we should leave before the authorities get here," Luna suggests. "I sense we have much to discuss." Usagi realizes the cat is watching Rei sit up beside her and she nods in agreement.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hours later after all the children have made it back home and the cops have finally left the area, the three of them congregate at the Hikawa Shrine, long returned to their civilian guises. Usagi and Mizuno wait in silence for Rei to ask her first questions.

"What does it mean to be a Sailor Guardian?" she finally asks after several minutes of contemplation.

"Extra work," Mizuno deadpans.

"Fighting evil monsters," Usagi adds.

Luna lets out a heavy sigh. "The Sailor Guardians are meant to be the champions of justice, fighting the evil in this world and protecting the princess of the Moon Kingdom, once we find her. It's your destiny to fight alongside Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, and the rest of your comrades."

"My destiny…?" she mutters, looking thoughtful. She's silent for a moment before she speaks again. "I've always been different from others, with my supernatural abilities, and I never knew why. But now I understand. I was always meant to be a Guardian."

"Does this mean you'll fight with us?" Usagi asks, curious. It had taken quite the argument to convince Mizuno to fight with her, but maybe Rei wouldn't need one, she hopes.

"I will," she agrees with a determined nod. "As you said, this is my destiny. I will not run from it. Though…" Rei trails off, fidgeting with the sleeve of her kosode as she looks sheepishly away.

"What?" Usagi prompts.

Rei shrugs apologetically. "I don't think I'm a very good fighter."

"That's fine," Luna says, "you'll improve the more you train and fight."

Mizuno looks like she wants to say something about that, but thankfully she stays quiet on the matter. "Very well then. Perhaps this will be much easier with you fighting alongside us. Now, I have to get home. It's late and I haven't studied for our English quiz yet."

"Good night," Usagi mutters, Luna and Hino mimicking the sentiment. Then she turns to the remaining girl. "I should get going as well. But I'm glad we have you fighting with us, too."

"I agree, Usagi-chan," she says.

Usagi manages a quick smile. "Well, we're off. See you around, Rei-chan." She waves goodbye, the other girl returning the sentiment as they leave the shrine.


	11. Jadeite's Memory

Author's Note: Make sure you've read Chapter 10 before you read this one.

* * *

_Jadeite_

He raises a hand and gently caresses her cheek, and a warm feeling emanates from his fingertips, spreading through his body. His eyes widen minutely and suddenly he no longer sees the girl standing before him.

A wooden door creaks open before him as he steps out onto the tower balcony. There's a single figure standing at the ledge, watching the courtyard below. He walks up behind the figure, sliding arms around her waist as he leans over her shoulder to see what she's looking at. Far down below he recognizes the figure of his prince, with a girl who must be Princess Serenity. Nowadays the two of them are always together, it seems.

"Why are you watching them from up here?" he asks her, turning his head away from the scene below to nudge at her shoulder. She tilts her head to peer at him from the corner of her eyes as she replies.

"It is my duty to watch the Princess."

"Even now, while she's here in the castle?" he presses. "There are two dozen knights stationed at the castle's entrance, and a dozen more throughout the castle itself. She is well protected, especially with my Prince. Take a break."

"I shouldn't…" she tries to argue, but Jadeite is persuasive when he wants to be.

He steps back to turn her in his arms so they're facing one another. Sailor Mars looks up at him, biting her lip in her hesitation. He reaches up a hand to smooth it out before she can hurt herself, smiling reassuringly. "You push yourself too hard, Adrestia," he tells her. "The Princess will be fine. Come, take a break with me."

"But –"

"The Prince will watch her, and we are close enough we can be by her side at a moment's notice," he interrupts. "She will be fine, but you shall not if you do not take a break. Have you even eaten today?"

She sheepishly shakes her head no. Jadeite tsks. "Then I will have to rectify that. Care to join me for a light lunch, my lady?" he asks politely, holding out his arm for her. She gives the courtyard below one last look before haltingly taking his arm. Jadeite uses it to draw her closer. "Allow me to escort you."

"Of course," she replies. "I would allow no other."

Her remark makes Jadeite smile. "I am glad," he says, smiling softly down at her. She looks up at him, a gentle smile of her own warming his heart.

He blinks, and the smile is abruptly replaced by a frown. He's not looking at Sailor Mars – Adrestia – whoever that girl was, but Hino, the granddaughter of the shrine head. Jadeite forces the memory and his confusion away, replacing it with a twisted grin as he looks at Hino, grabbing her by the neck. "Now that you know I'm afraid I can't let you stay alive. You can give your energy to the Dark Kingdom along with the rest of the girls," he growls. He throws his hand other hand out and a dark swirling portal opens up beside them. She eyes it nervously and Jadeite doesn't hesitate before throwing her into it.

Regardless of what whatever he just saw was, he can't let it distract him from his mission. Queen Beryl will be most disappointed if another plan of his fails.

* * *

Author's Note: I've given the Sailor Guardians from the past different names, so Sailor Mars from the Silver Millennium was named Adrestia, in case you were confused.


	12. Nightmare in DreamLand

Author's Note: As a reminder, this story takes place in 2010. Just something to keep in mind for reference, that year Apple had just released the iPhone 4 while Samsung released the first of its Galaxy series. When I describe their communicators, imagine them being closer to our modern-day smartphones.

* * *

_Tsukino Usagi_

A couple of days after Rei joins them they gather back at her shrine, at Mizuno's request. She comes to gather Usagi after school, and between her and Luna Usagi has no chance of escaping. She tries not to look too put out when she gets to Hikawa Shrine. Rei leads them into the big building, to a different room than the last time they were there. It looks much more lived in and personalized, and Usagi concludes this must be her room.

"So what did you want to talk about, Mizuno-san?" Rei asks once they're seated around the low table.

The other girl digs into her bag and pulls out a couple of newspapers. "I doubt either of you have been reading the papers, but lately there have been mysterious disappearances from the new theme park, DreamLand," she says, flipping to the relevant pages. "And not just that, but my computer has been picking up some readings from that area of Tokyo. I think it warrants an investigation, at least."

"Well, sure, I guess we can do that," Usagi says. "We'll have to go tomorrow though, because it's a little late now."

Rei nods. "I can meet up at noon, if that's okay with you two," she haltingly suggests.

"Sounds great to me," Usagi agrees.

"Same here," Mizuno nods. "Well, I'll be leaving then. That's all I needed to say, and I've got other things to do." She stands, and with a backwards wave leaves the room.

Usagi watches her go, and then turns to Rei. "I don't know about you, but that seemed kinda pointless. She could've just gathered us tomorrow and then we could've gone straight there," Usagi grumbles.

Rei smiles. "I don't mind. I'm not doing anything besides chores, anyways."

"Yeah but I could've gone to the arcade," Usagi pouts, slumping over the table.

"Perhaps this will help," Luna chimes in, standing and doing her flip. Three objects land on the pillow the cat was just sitting on. She picks them up and sets them on the table. "These are communicators you can use to talk to each other, so that you don't always have to meet up to discuss Guardian business."

Usagi picks one up. They're small rectangular devices that look remarkably like the new smartphones that have been coming out lately, except they're much thinner and more sleek-looking. At the top and bottom is maybe a centimeter of shiny, blue-tinted metal, with a small button embedded in the bottom section. The rest of the space between is filled with a screen, currently black. On the right side of the device is a small button, while the left has two close together. Usagi turns it over and there's a small square camera, and below it in the center is a tiny Mercury symbol. She looks back at the pile, but Rei pushes a different communicator, tinted a soft pink, towards her. "This one is yours," she says with a smile.

"These are pretty neat, Luna," Usagi remarks, pressing the button on the side. The screen turns on, a small golden moon appearing in the center as it loads. When the screen appears she sees a dozen little applications already installed. 'It may look like those smartphones,' Usagi thinks, 'but it's way cooler, and much neater than my crap flip phone.'

Luna looks proud of herself. "Thank you. They're also hooked up to the Moon System, so you shouldn't encounter any of the issues other phones might. With these, you'll have a much easier time communicating, I think."

"We can give Mizuno hers when we see her tomorrow, and then these meetings won't be necessary," Rei says.

Usagi nods in agreement. "If that's all then, I'll get going as well," she says as she stands. "See ya tomorrow, Rei-chan."

"Bye, Usagi-chan."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At noon the girls meet up out in front of DreamLand, and Usagi passes over Mizuno's communicator. She takes it and looks at it curiously. "I could've messaged you two with my supercomputer, you know. Or my actual phone," is all she says. Then, as they enter she outlines her plan. "The park's layout is centered around the castle, with rides and shops surrounding it. We'll start on the left and work our way around to the right, looking for anything suspicious. If we don't, we can consider my readings just an abnormality and the kidnappings a result of humans."

"So you mean we're going to go to an amusement park but not have any fun, basically?" Usagi asks incredulously. "That's so lame."

"We're here to work, Tsukino," Mizuno admonishes. "Now let's get this over with. I still have things to do later today."

Usagi shares an exasperated look with Rei but doesn't offer any more complaints as she follows the genius inside. She resigns herself to a boring day of walking, but at the very least Rei will be there to suffer with her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After an hour of walking and nearly half the park Usagi insists on them taking a break. Mizuno hesitates, but when Rei joins in she's finally won over and they grab some drinks before settling on a nearby bench. "Ah, this is nice," Usagi sighs, leaning back.

"We're wasting time," Mizuno grumbles.

"I don't see why you need to drag all of us around anyways," Usagi argues. "All you're doing is looking at that computer of yours. We're not doing anything."

Mizuno's eyes narrow. "This is Guardian business, and you're Guardians. If I'm going to do this then so are you. Besides, we may not have found anything yet, but if we do there could be a monster and I'm not going to take care of it by myself."

"That doesn't mean we can't have fun in the meantime," Usagi retorts. "This is so –!" She cuts off as her gaze catches on a bear approaching them. "Holy shit!" Mizuno and Rei look at what spooked her and tense up on the bench beside her.

"Th-there's an animal in here," Rei stutters, subtly trying to move Usagi in front of her.

"We need to call someone," Mizuno mutters, frozen, though her wide-eyed gaze doesn't leave the animal.

There's a soft chuckle nearby. "I'm sorry if we startled you, but that won't be necessary." A pretty woman stands before them in a beautiful pink and gold dress. She has a soft and earnest expression on her face that immediately puts Usagi at ease. "They're not real, you see," she goes on to explain, resting a hand on the bear at her side. "They're remote controlled." She waves her hand around the apple she's holding in her other hand, and after glowing for a second the bear walks away. She waves her hand over it again and other smaller animals appear.

"Wait, are they animatronics?" Mizuno asks, suddenly interested. She approaches the woman curiously. "How are you controlling them? It's a wireless connection, obviously, but how are your movements translated into commands for them? Or are they simple on/off commands? What language are they programmed in?"

The woman takes a nervous step back. "I'm sorry, I don't know," she admits apologetically. "I'm just the Candy Princess." Mizuno takes her seat again, disappointed. She hums her displeasure as she leans back, crossing her arms and no longer looking at the Princess, who seems taken aback by the sudden cold shoulder. "To make it up to you," she says, smiling, "how about I invite you to my House of Sweets, where we'll have a party. It starts at 2, if you'd like to come."

Usagi brightens. "That sounds amazing."

"We'll think about it. Thank you for the invitation," Rei interjects, standing. "Come on, girls. We still have more of the park to visit." She doesn't give Usagi any choice, dragging her along behind her with a tight grip on the girl's arm. Usagi puts up a token of protest that Rei immediately hushes, and Usagi is so stunned by the forward behavior that she lets the other drag her without any more complaint. Mizuno, at least, gets up and follows of her own accord.

Rei doesn't relax until they're out of the Princess's sight, and then she finally slows. Usagi jerks her arm out of the girl's grip as soon as she can. "What was that about?" she asks, annoyed.

Rei darts a nervous glance around before leaning in to reply. "I was getting some serious dark vibes from that princess. I don't think we should go to that party."

Usagi blinks, surprised. She glances back where they came from, but the Princess is nowhere to be found. "I didn't sense anything," she mutters.

"Maybe so, but Rei-chan's spiritual awareness is much greater than yours," Luna chimes in from wherever the cat had vanished to earlier. Usagi scowls down at her but Mizuno is speaking before she can retort.

"Then all the more reason to go to the party," she says. "If this Princess is suspicious, then we should follow her, and if she tries anything we can do something about it."

Rei looks hesitant but eventually nods in agreement. Usagi checks her watch. "Well, the party doesn't start for another 45 minutes, so what should we do until then?" she asks.

"Obviously we keep checking out the park," Mizuno says, but then pauses. "Though that's not much time, so perhaps we should split up. I'll go with Luna. I'll be looking at my computer the whole time anyways, so I don't need either of you, and if we find anything we'll call." She walks off, Luna trotting behind her, before either of them can protest.

Usagi shares a look with Rei, but the other girl just shrugs. "We might as well," she sighs.

"Wait, I have an idea," Usagi interjects with a grin. Rei only gives her a curious look before shrugging.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A ten minute wait later finds both girls on the back of a kid's train. Usagi chuckles almost uncontrollably. "Isn't this a great idea?" she asks Rei, who's sitting behind her.

"It's not a bad one," she admits. Usagi's eye twitches when she hears it, but she doesn't make a comment about the backhanded compliment.

"I think Mizuno would agree," she mutters. "After all, it's efficient and she's all about that."

"Well, we aren't walking," Rei amends.

"Exactly."

Usagi makes a show of looking around the areas of the park they go through, but she has no idea what she's looking for in the first place and she can't sense things like Rei or Mizuno's computer so she just kind of gives up to enjoy the ride. It's a nice Saturday, and Usagi is determined to enjoy at least some of this trip. After all, it's not every day she gets to go to an amusement park, and she spent quite a bit of her allowance on the admission ticket.

She loses track of time this way, and it isn't until they hear an announcement on the park's speakers that they remember they're supposed to attend the party at the House of Sweets. "Driver, we need to get off!" Usagi shouts, standing from her seat.

"Sorry," the driver, a big animatronic panda, says, "no stopping until we get to Candy Cross Station."

"Shit," Usagi mutters under her breath as she takes a seat.

"Mizuno will be fine," Rei tells her from behind, her tone reassuring. "And Luna is with her. We'll join them as soon as possible." Usagi nods, though she can't relax for the rest of the train ride.

As soon as they get off they run off to the House of Sweets in the center of the park. When they get to the doors they're firmly shut. "No!" Usagi shouts, pulling at the door's handles. "Shit, we're too late."

"Usagi-chan!"

Usagi looks behind her as Luna runs up to them. "Where's Mizuno?" she asks.

"She went inside, but I've got a bad feeling about this place."

"Me too," Rei admits, sending a displeased look at the doors. "We need to transform."

Usagi nods, and after a quick check around them to make sure the area is clear, pulls out her brooch. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

"Mars Power!"

.

_Mizuno Ami_

Ami follows the crowd of people into the House, thoroughly annoyed with her fellow Guardians. They said they would be here, but when she called them she received no response and Ami had no choice but to go inside before the doors closed, leaving her to do all of the searching by herself. If she encounters the enemy and has to fight on her own, she swears she won't let them hear the end of it.

The path leads to a massive hall filled with all manners of sweets and candy. People immediately start flocking to the tables, but Ami just eyes it all critically. There's definitely something off about the place, but she can't quite put her finger on it. She pulls out her computer and starts tapping away, trying to analyze the readings in the area.

She's interrupted by the Princess walking out on stage. "Welcome all to my House of Sweets," she says sweetly. "It is my hope that you enjoy it so much…you'll never want to leave." Her voice turns sour and she takes a deep breath, exhaling a bright red mist over them.

Ami immediately covers her nose with her sweater sleeve, but it's no use. People start falling to the ground, asleep, and she doesn't last much longer once she can't hold her breath anymore. She falls to the ground, dropping her computer with a clatter. She can barely move, but she just manages to lift her head to watch the Princess.

The Princess is waving her hand around the apple in her hand, but instead of animatronic animals appearing she starts sucking the energy from the patrons. Ami feels it draining at her own energy and struggles to remain conscious, trying to convey at least something to her fellow Guardians. 'The apple…' she tries to project, passing out before she can receive a confirmation from one of the others.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

'The apple…'

Usagi pauses, Mizuno's voice echoing in her head. "Did you –?" she asks, turning to Rei.

She nods. "Yeah. We need to get in there." She closes her eyes and brings her hands together. "Mars Fire Soul!" Her flames shoot through the door like paper, burning a hole large enough for them to get through. "Let's go!"

The girls charge in, running down the hall. Usagi knows they're probably headed into a trap, but they have no choice when Mizuno and dozens of people are likely in trouble. She turns a corner, Rei hot on her heels, and comes to an abrupt stop, causing her companion to nearly crash into her. Rei makes a noise of surprise before realizing why she's stopped so suddenly. The Princess stands across from them.

"It's nice to meet you, Sailor Guardians," she says, bowing politely. "But I'm afraid you stop here."

"You can't stop us!" Usagi snaps.

"Oh?" She cocks her head to the side, before it disappears entirely. Then her body starts spinning, her skirt turning clockwise to her torso's counter-clockwise. As it spins faster and faster the colors start to change from pastel to red, purple, and black. Then her head makes a reappearance, spinning as well. Her hair swirls around her face, though Usagi notices the new red crown atop her head.

"Get ready," she whispers to Rei behind her, feeling the girl shift into a more defensive stance.

"I am the Dark Princess," the former Candy Princess bows. "It's nice to meet…you." As she says she last word she exhales a dark red mist. Usagi and Rei can't avoid it and flinch back. Usagi subconsciously closes her eyes, and when she opens them they're no longer standing in the hall of the House of Sweets. They're standing in a green field of flowers, and in the distance she can see a forest. Luckily, when she glances around, Rei and Luna are still with her.

"What should we do?" Rei asks.

"If Mercury were here she could tell us where to go," Usagi groans.

"Just stay together, girls," Luna instructs. "We'll get out of this.

"Ah!" Rei shouts, and Usagi turns with a panicked expression.

"Sailor Mars!" she exclaims. There's a snake slithering away from the other girl, and two puncture wounds on her leg. Rei falters, dropping to her other knee as pain clouds her expression.

"I'll be fine," she tries to reassure her, though in Usagi's opinion she doesn't look to good. The girl closes her eyes, an intense expression on her face. She holds up a hand and a talisman appears between her two fingers. "I call upon the power of Mars. Evil spirit, be exorcised!" She places the talisman on her leg – where stone had started to spread from the snake's bite – and the spread shatters off. The wound remains, but at least Rei doesn't look as pained.

"Keep an eye out, girls," Luna warns them.

Usagi nods. "We should move on," she says. There had been a hall in front of them before they were caught in this illusion, and if it's only an illusion then it really doesn't matter what it looks like, right? Usagi mentally curses and wishes Mizuno were with them. She'd have known what to do.

In the fog of the forest they see a figure start to approach, and all three of them pause defensively. For several moments the person is indistinguishable, but as they grow closer the fog thins and Usagi can make out a familiar figure…riding a horse. "Tuxedo Mask?" she asks, confused. On one hand she wants to trust him because he's helped her several times before, but on the other hand…how could he be in the illusion with them?

"Who's that?" Rei asks. "He's cute, but he could be the enemy?"

"No," Usagi immediately protests, but then hesitates. "I don't know," she admits.

Tuxedo Mask stops next to them. "Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, take my hand." He reaches a hand out to them, right in front of Usagi.

'It sounds just like him,' she thinks. 'He could be trying to help us.' She reaches a hand out to hesitantly place in his own. 'It feels real,' she realizes, 'so he must be real too.'

Then the image is shattered and Usagi blinks when the scenery abruptly changes back into the hall from before. The Dark Princess still stands before them, though the apple in her hand is now rolling on the floor towards Usagi. A single rose sticks from the ground before her.

"Don't fall for her traps, Sailor Moon! Finish her," the real Tuxedo Mask shouts from a window above them.

"Right!" Usagi shouts, mentally cursing herself for nearly falling for it. Then she remembers Mizuno's voice from earlier and slams her boot down on the apple, crushing it as she proclaims loudly, "I won't let you get away with this, luring people with sweets just to steal their energy. I am Sailor Moon, Guardian of Love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

The Dark Princess opens her mouth and Usagi knows what's coming. "Run!" she tells Rei, pushing the other girl forward. They take off sprinting down the hall to avoid being trapped in another illusion.

"Here, Sailor Moon!" Rei shouts, pointing to a set of large double doors. The girls crash through and then pause in the entryway, stunned by all the people lying around the room. "Mizuno!" Rei shouts, spotting their companion's blue hair. They rush over to her prone body and Usagi crouches, gently nudging at the other girl.

"Hey, wake up, Mizuno!"

It takes a moment but then they hear a groan from the girl as her eyes slowly open. "There you are," she mutters. Usagi helps her sit up. "About fucking time. Did you get the apple?" she asks.

Usagi nods. "Yeah, crushed it earlier."

"Good. That's probably why my energy is coming back to me," she says.

"You need to transform," Rei tells her, her tone urgent. "The Dark Princess likely isn't far behind us."

Mizuno sighs before nodding. "Mercury Power Make Up!" She transforms before their eyes, blue lighting up the area, and once she's finished she stands with them. "Alright, let's defeat this stupid monster and get out of here."

"I've found you," the Dark Princess sings out, and the girls turn to find her standing in the doorway.

"Perfect timing," Usagi mutters under her breath.

"Distract her?" Rei asks, and when Mizuno nods in agreement she darts to the side.

Mizuno steps forward. "Mercury Bubble Spray!" The area is filled with fog and Usagi loses sight of Rei. Then she hears the other girl's voice.

"Evil spirit, be exorcised!"

"Now's your chance, Sailor Moon!" Mercury hisses. "While the thing can't move!"

She nods, reaching for her tiara. The mist is thinning enough that she can just barely make out the Princess's shadowy figure. "Moon Tiara Action!" She throws it and her aim is on point, striking the monster. The mist disappears entirely through her attack and they watch as the Princess starts crumbling to dust. But, to their shock, so does the castle around them. Usagi's eyes widen. "I don't want to get crushed!"

Mizuno grabs her arm and starts running for the door, Luna and then Rei hot on their heels. "But what about the people?" Rei asks, and Usagi can hear the worry in her voice.

"Let the authorities take care of them," Mizuno calls back dismissively, letting Usagi run freely.

They finally clear the castle, though they do end up a little dusty in the process. Once they're in the open they immediately run for cover between some nearby buildings. "That was close," Mizuno mutters, immediately dropping her transformation. Usagi and Rei do the same.

"Yeah," Rei agrees.

Usagi slumps against the nearby wall. "You know, I was hoping that, once we were done investigating, we could properly enjoy the park. But now I'm too exhausted to," she bemoans.

"You can't talk," Mizuno argues. "You weren't the one who actually had their energy drained today. And I've still got a ton of things to do." She starts to head out of the small alleyway. "I'll see you girls around."

They watch her go, and while Usagi contemplates what she wants to do Rei turns to her, curious with a touch of hesitation. "Are you sure you're too tired to do anything? Because I wouldn't mind going on a few rides," she offers.

Usagi looks up at the other girl and considers it. "Maybe just a few," she relents, and the other girl smiles and reaches a hand down to help her up.

"This'll be fun," she says as she starts leading Usagi out. "By the way, now you can tell me all about this Tuxedo Mask guy."

Usagi nearly misses her footing. "I can do what now?" she asks, her voice a little high, while Rei just giggles and carries on.


	13. Luxury Love Cruise

_Tsukino Usagi_

Two days after their adventure in DreamLand, Usagi is walking towards the shopping center with Rei. After the fun afternoon they'd had riding around DreamLand they had started hanging out more often, and today Usagi plans to introduce her to Motoki-oniisan at the arcade. But as they walk, a lottery stand catches her eye and she pauses to read the banner, her friend stopping a moment later when she realizes Usagi isn't walking anymore.

"What is it?" she asks, her head tilted curiously as she reads the sign herself. "A luxury cruise? We don't really have time for that, and besides, these contests are rigged."

As she turns to continue walking, an idea pops in her head and Usagi grins deviously. "Oh? I bet you could use your supernatural powers to win it."

Rei pauses. "What?"

"You know, use those spirits or pray to those gods of yours to win the contest," she says lightly.

"It doesn't work like that."

"So you couldn't do it?" Usagi asks innocently.

Rei looks conflicted for a second. "Alright, fine," she grits out, pushing through the crowd around the stand to get to the front. She pays the man to play and then closes her eyes in concentration, her hands coming together as if to pray. They silently watch her for a moment before she bursts into action, spinning the handle so fast it's nearly a blur. And then she stops, and they all wait with baited breath for the ball to come out.

A tiny little golden ball gently drops from the machine. The man running the stand stares incredulously for a moment before suddenly coming alive, animatedly ringing his bell as he calls out, "Winner! We have a winner! We have a winner!" When he finally stops he reaches into his coat and produces two tickets that he hands over to Rei. "Here you go, Miss. Enjoy your trip!"

"Thank you," she replies with a polite bow before walking back to Usagi, who's still standing behind everyone. She gives her companion a pointed look. "And you doubted me."

"I will never do so again," Usagi solemnly promises as she eyes the tickets. "So, you have anyone you wanna take in mind?"

Rei thinks for a second as they start walking again. "No, not really. It's not like I have a boyfriend, or many friends for that matter."

"So…could I go with you then?"

Rei contemplates it for several moments, and the longer she takes the more nervous Usagi gets. "I think I'll take Mizuno –"

"What?!"

"– since we haven't had a girls outing yet," Rei continues, ignoring Usagi's interruption. "Yeah, I think that'll be fun. Let me call her right now." They stop on the corner of the street as Rei pulls out her communicator. She presses the center button to turn on the screen and Rei taps on the Mercury symbol on the bottom row to video call Mizuno. It rings for a second as they wait for Mizuno to respond.

Her annoyed face appears on the screen with a gruff, "What?"

Rei adopts her most innocent expression. "I was wondering if you wanted to go on a cruise with me. I just won two free tickets."

Mizuno gives her an incredulous expression, and it's clear even through the small screen that she's wondering what went wrong in Rei's head to be asking her this. "Seriously? No, I don't care. I've got more important things to do."

Rei pouts. "But Mizuno-san, I just wanted to get to know you better, is all. We are comrades. Usagi-chan is the only other person I could think of bringing, but I've already spent an afternoon with her at the amusement park, so I thought it would only be fair to invite you this time."

Usagi wishes Mizuno would've hung up after initially rejecting the offer, because now she looks like she's actually considering Rei's proposition. "Tsukino-san, you say? Does she know about the tickets?" Mizuno asks, and Usagi doesn't like where this is going.

"Of course, she was the one who dared me to get them in the first place," Rei replies.

"Does she want to go?"

Rei shrugs. "Well, yeah, but I thought I'd offer them to you first."

Mizuno grins. "Okay, I'll go with you."

"Noooo," Usagi cries, utterly disappointed. She distantly hears Mizuno laughing through the communicator, and Rei's quieter chuckles. "You've betrayed me, Rei-chan. I thought we were friends." She feels the other girl's arm link through hers as they head off again.

"We are, Usagi-chan," she replies, far too happily for someone who's just betrayed their best friend.

Usagi doesn't reply. 'Two can play at this game,' she thinks, intending on giving Rei the cold shoulder for as long as she can hold out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It lasts until Rei has to leave to get ready for the cruise later that evening, but by then Usagi has cooled down. After all, it's not the end of the world if she doesn't go on the cruise. "I'm glad you've realized that, Usagi-chan," Luna praises her when she gets home. "Besides, someone has to be ready to defend against evil monsters, should one try to attack tonight."

"Of course, Luna," Usagi agrees obligingly, all the while mentally planning exactly how she's going to get on that cruise. She'll get on and interrupt their "hanging out," just to prove that she can and they shouldn't try to mess with her like this. Besides, Guardians should stick together, so it really isn't fair that it's just the two of them. After all, Mizuno could've stuck with them if she'd wanted to, she just chose not to.

A half-hour before the cruise is set to leave, Usagi gets up and leaves. Unfortunately, Luna follows along as well, curious about where she's off to. She tries to distract the cat with other questions, keeping her talking about her research into the Dark Kingdom and other potential comrades and the like. But once they approach the pier Usagi can't hide her destination any longer.

"What are we doing here?" Luna asks, and she sounds like she's struggling not to get angry.

"Sneaking aboard the cruise, obviously," Usagi replies. "I've got a bad feeling, so we need to check it out," she lies, hoping that'll quiet Luna about it.

The cat is quiet for all of ten seconds before she's asking Usagi, "And just how do you plan to get on the ship? You don't have a ticket, I'm assuming."

"No, but I do have this." Usagi pulls out her Disguise Pen with a flourish, winking at Luna. "Moon Power! Change me into…a photographer." When the warm feeling fades Usagi looks down at herself and is pleased with what she finds. It's different enough that no one would recognize her at first glance. "Now come on, Luna. There's an employee entrance somewhere around here."

They avoid the crowds of people trying to get on the ship and head to the less populated areas. Usagi spots a door, and after a quick glance around, walks right on in. After a moment's thought, she stuffs Luna in her camera bag, just in case someone sees her and tries to question why she's got a cat following her. Luna grumbles but doesn't outright complain, and once the lid is shut Usagi can't hear her anyways. She starts walking down the hall, looking for anything that will get her up to the public levels.

It's like a maze down in the bowels of the ship, and there isn't a single sign that could possibly tell her how to get to the top. "What the hell, Luna?" Usagi complains to the cat after nearly ten minutes of wandering.

She pokes her head out of the box to look around. "I don't know, Usagi-chan. Just keep going up."

"Easier said than done," she grumbles under her breath as she takes the flight of stairs up on her left. It leads her to a very noisy room, but still not the public areas.

A hand on her shoulder startles her into jumping away, and when she turns to see who's approached her Usagi realizes her heart is beating very fast. It's a man she doesn't recognize, wearing the crisp white uniform of the boat's staff. "What are you doing here? This area is restricted."

Usagi plays innocent. "Oh, I'm sorry," she says sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess I got a little lost looking for the bathrooms, and now I don't know how to get back."

"I will show you the way back, Miss," he offers.

"I appreciate that," Usagi says pleasantly. 'He's kinda cute,' she thinks as she follows him through the ship. "So, what's your name, sir? I'm Tsukino Usagi."

"Uh, I'm Jed," he replies. "It's nice to meet you," he says stiffly, as if he's merely observing formality and doesn't really mean it.

Usagi falters. 'Jed was the same name as the guy who worked at Rei-chan's shrine, the one she had bad feelings about,' she recalls, though she tries not to let it show on her face. "It's nice to meet you too," she replies, though her heart isn't in it anymore. She's wary of this man now, and glances at him often out of the corner of her eye. He doesn't look like the other Jed, but Usagi knows that isn't much. She's disguised herself, after all. She tries to feel if there's something off about him, but unfortunately she doesn't have the spiritual awareness that Rei does.

Finally they make it to a brightly lit hall. Usagi looks around curiously, but there's no one else. Jed turns to her and bows. "I must take my leave now. Good luck finding your companions," he says curtly before walking off.

Usagi waits until he's a little ways off before following after him. Forget finding Rei and Mizuno, she's found something more important to do. She keeps trailing Jed through the ship until he enters a room, and then she has to peek through the small window to see what's going on. Her eyes widen in surprise.

Jed is in there with another woman, also in a uniform like his, and they're watching the dark blue orb floating before them. It glows faintly, and Usagi doesn't need Rei's level of spirituality to know that the orb holds energy, she can feel it even through the door. "Not good, Luna," she mutters, opening the case and holding the cat up so she can see.

"What isn't good, Usagi-chan?" the cat asks.

"What do you mean?" Usagi asks incredulously, and then her eyes widen in surprise when she looks back through the hole. "They're gone!" she exclaims in surprise. "But I saw –! That man and woman, they're trying to gather the passengers' energy. We have to stop them."

Luna jumps out of the case. "We need to find Ami-chan and Rei-chan."

.

_Hino Rei_

She and Ami – as the girl had requested she call her when they began this whole endeavor, since they were practically going on a date – sit down to a nice dinner in the dining hall. It's a small and intimate table, and Rei is sure that, had she been on an actual date, it would've been very romantic. As it is, the whole trip so far has been pretty romantic, but she and Ami are taking it in stride. Ami even dressed up in a suit to play at being the boy, which Rei had laughed at.

It hasn't been as awkward as she would have thought. Before tonight Rei had never spoken much with Mizuno, since the girl was never around when there was no Guardian business, but she was glad for the opportunity to get to know her. She didn't have very many friends – none, really, until Usagi-chan had started talking to her, and she always found it hard to go up and talk to people when they all knew the rumors about her. But Ami didn't care about her powers; she had similar ones herself, and as Rei had found out, was a bit of a loner as well though it wasn't her supernatural abilities that kept her apart from everyone else. Plus they were Guardians together, so they had no choice but to interact.

Dinner is peaceful. They make small talk for a while until they receive their food, and now they eat in companionable silence. Rei is pleased to find that Ami also enjoys the quiet, and that it isn't awkward between them. Neither one of them is the kind to talk just to fill the quiet. Rei knows it must seem odd to the other couples that they don't interact much, but it's just another thing for them to giggle about. They've been turning heads since they arrived on the boat once people realized Ami isn't a boy and they aren't a couple, but that just makes it more fun.

Their meal is interrupted half-way through when the speakers on the ship come to life. "Would everyone please join us in the Reception Hall for tonight's show?" a feminine voice informs them.

Rei and Ami share a look. "We might as well go; we've got nothing better to do," Ami says, wiping her face with her napkin and standing. "Are you done?"

"Yeah," Rei nods. Ami offers her arm like the gentleman she's pretending to be and Rei takes it with an amused smile. Then they head for the Reception Hall with the rest of the passengers.

When they get to the Hall there's a woman in a Chinese dress and a man in the ship's uniform standing up on the stage. "Welcome all," she says, and Rei recognizes her as the woman who made the announcement. "I hope you've been enjoying your romantic cruise." Ami and Rei share a look. "Now it's time for the highlight of the evening…the stealing of your energy!"

Their attention snaps back to the stage as the woman's form changes appearance. Her skin goes blue and her dress is replaced by a tight blue suit. Her hair grows long and black and there's a golden symbol resting on her forehead above deep red eyes, but no face. She raises her arms and the disco ball above them starts glowing. Then the people start falling as their energy is drained, but they're surprised to find themselves still standing once it's all over. Ami and Rei look around in confusion.

"What's this?" the woman asks.

"You only took the romantic energy from the passengers," the man says, and is that amusement Rei hears in his voice? "They have no romantic energy. They're not here on a date."

The monster almost looks flustered as she rounds on them. "What are you doing on a romantic cruise without your boyfriends?" she asks.

Rei flushes. "That's none of your business!" she snaps. Ami nods in agreement next to her, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Fine," the monster growls. "We'll just have to take care of you in another way." As she speaks murky blue figures start to rise from the ground and approach them.

"Shit," Ami mutters, and Rei can't help agreeing with the sentiment. They turn back-to-back as they face the clone things and prepare to defend themselves.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

"Hold it right there!" Usagi says, landing on the window to the Reception Hall. "How dare you make fun of girls who are just here for a good time! They don't need boyfriends to do that, so there's no reason to be mean!" she proclaims. "I am Sailor Moon, Guardian of Love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"

"You again!" Jed shouts as his form changes, revealing Jadeite.

"I'll take care of her, Master Jadeite," the monster claims with a bow. "I, Thetis, will be your opponent, Sailor Moon!" She launches herself off of the stage at Usagi, and she has nowhere to dodge. The monster slams into her with her arms gripping tight at her shoulders. The fall to the outer deck hard enough to break through the wood, creating a crater where they land. Usagi gasps in pain as her back is battered black and blue again.

She knees Thetis in the gut, remembering her karate training enough to kick the monster over her head. She quickly scrambles out of the crater to stand and face the monster, who caught herself on the ship's railing. "You won't defeat me here, Sailor Moon!" She raises her arms and massive jets of water shoot up beside the ship. Usagi swallows heavily and hopes Mercury and Mars plan on joining her sometime soon, because this monster doesn't seem like the other ones they've faced before.

Thetis launches the streams of water and her and Usagi ignores the pain enough to dodge, and she's very glad she does. The force of the water jets is enough to create more dents in the deck, rending the wood to slivers. She reaches for her tiara as soon as she has a second to breathe and quickly attacks, "Moon Tiara Action!" In her haste, though, the throw goes wide and barely scratches at the monster's shoulder before clattering somewhere off on Usagi's right.

She stares, horrified, at her dropped tiara, and in her distraction takes Thetis's revenge shot right in the same shoulder, throwing her roughly back into the metal ship. She hits her head hard and cries out, though luckily she doesn't fall unconscious.

"Mercury Bubble Spray!"

The area is covered in mist and Usagi squints, though two figures immediately materialize in front of her. She flinches back for a second before recognizing them as Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars. "Thank the gods you guys are here," she mutters.

"Sailor Moon, your shoulder," Rei mutters, gentle hands touching at her shoulder as her expression twists in concern.

Usagi doesn't want to look; she can barely feel her arm, so it must not be good. Instead she levers herself off of the wall, a little unsteady as her head starts pounding, but she can at least stand on her own. Her right arm hangs limply at her side.

"You have a head wound," Mizuno remarks, sounding surprised.

Usagi almost shakes her head, but then gets dizzy when she starts to move it and aborts the movement. "We need to defeat her, quickly. She's not like the other monsters."

"I'll dry her out," Rei growls. "Mars Fire Soul!" Flames burn through the mist and hit Thetis right on, causing the monster to slump as she starts smoking. "Now, Sailor Moon!"

"I need my tiara to finish her," she snaps, panicked. There's no way she can concentrate enough to summon the thing with a headache pounding at her head, and she has the perfect opportunity right in front of her to attack but she can't do a thing. Then something clatters at her feet.

"Here, Sailor Moon!" Luna shouts.

Usagi has never felt more relieved to see the cat. Thankfully Mizuno bends down to pick it up and hand it to her. Usagi isn't sure she could manage it herself with her head pounding like it is. This time she'll be more careful. "Moon Tiara Action!" Thetis is still recovering from Rei's attack, and with Usagi's toss on point this time she's an easy target for the tiara. It strikes her right in her center and she screams in pain before turning into water and falling into the river, her streams of water disappearing a moment later.

"Damn you girls!" Jadeite snaps, finally making his appearance before them. Rei and Mizuno tense beside Usagi, and she does her best to get into her own defensive position, though she knows she won't hold up in a battle against him. She's far too weakened right now.

Then, under their very feet, the ship gives a massive groan and rapidly deteriorates, the wooden boards turning rotted as the metal of the ship goes rusted. The engines stop and the massive boat slowly comes to a stop in the water. "What the hell?" Rei mutters, looking around.

Usagi only has eyes for Jadeite, though, and notices that he immediately disappears as the ship goes sour. She heaves a breath of relief as she relaxes. "He's gone," she tells the others.

"I wonder if it was that monster's power that was keeping the ship in its pristine condition," Mizuno mutters. "It would explain why it deteriorated so suddenly after she died."

"Who cares about that? We're stuck now," Usagi complains, leaning against the wall though it makes a frightening creaking sound when it does. Her shoulder is starting to ache, and from her peripheral vision she can see how raw it is, with blood trickling down her arm from the really exposed parts. The shoulder of her uniform is utterly ruined, as well as part of her collar. She really needs a hospital this time.

"That looks bad, Usagi-chan," Rei says. Even Mizuno looks a little concerned by Usagi's injury, and she feels almost touched.

"The coast guard will be here soon," Mizuno reassures them. "They'll have first aid kits and you can just say you were hurt when the ship turned all rotted."

Usagi nods and drops her transformation, which thankfully doesn't jar her injury. Then she slides to the ground to rest as her companions do the same, settling beside her. "Sorry for interrupting your date, but do you mind if I wait with you guys?" she asks jokingly, though her voice is tight with pain.

Rei chuckles, appreciating the small attempt at humor. Even Mizuno cracks a wry grin. "Sure, it's fine. My date wasn't all that great anyways. Hardly a gentleman," she jokes, though Mizuno still adopts an affronted expression. The genius snaps something back in return, and Usagi is grateful for the distraction as they bicker back and forth.


	14. Jadeite's Reprimand

Author's Note: Make sure you've read Chapter 13 before you read this one.

* * *

_Jadeite_

That girl…Jadeite thinks back to the last cruise with Thetis, in the Reception Hall right after they stole everyone's energy, except for those two girls. He was sure he recognized one of them as Hino Rei. 'How is it that she's always around when we're trying to steal energy?' he wonders, and then a thought strikes him. 'But she couldn't be a Sailor Guardian.'

"Sir," a minion appears in the doorway to his quarters, drawing his attention.

"What?!" he snaps, annoyed at the interruption.

It bows. "Queen Beryl is expecting you," it reports before vanishing.

Jadeite sighs before vanishing himself. He appears before Queen Beryl, already bowing. He knows she's very displeased with him, and he struggles to hide the fear he feels about what she may do to him. If he could get one more chance, he knows he can do better.

"Jadeite!" she snaps, and it's sheer force of will that allows him to hide his flinch.

"Yes, my Queen?"

"You have failed yet again! I am most displeased."

"My apologies, Queen Beryl," he replies. "Please, give me one more chance to complete my mission." He doesn't dare look up to see her expression in the silence that follows his plea.

Finally she speaks, and she seems a tad calmer than before. "Very well. You may have one last chance to defeat these pesky Sailor Guardians."

"Thank you, my Queen," he says as he bows lower. But as he starts to rise Queen Beryl continues.

"Should you fail this task, I will turn you to stone, Jadeite. Do not fail me again."

Jadeite swallows heavily as he finally looks at his queen sitting atop her throne. "I shall not," he promises, because he has no choice. He has to get rid of these Sailor Guardians or he's doomed.


	15. The End of Jadeite

_Tsukino Usagi_

Usagi is abruptly woken from her dream by something roughly shaking at her good shoulder. She grumbles for several moments until Luna's frantic voice penetrates her sleepy mind and she's immediately alert, looking around her room in alarm. When she spots nothing but her cat she frowns in displeasure. It's barely been two hours since they were rescued from the defunct cruise ship and Usagi is exhausted. "Jeez, Luna, I was enjoying that dream," she complains.

"Not right now, Usagi-chan. There is something far more important you should see." She jumps over to the ledge of Usagi's opened window and Usagi follows, and her eyes widen at what she sees: a large projection of Jadeite over the Tokyo skyline.

"What the hell?" she mutters, awestruck. "What is he thinking?"

Then the apparition starts speaking. "Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars! Come to Hanade Airport at 1 AM tomorrow night, at Runway F. If you aren't there…" He trails off and opens his mouth wide, exhaling onto the city below. Flames erupt between the buildings and Usagi jolts in panic before realizing that the flames aren't real, as they're extinguished a moment later. "If you're late I will turn Tokyo into a city of flames." Then the image disappears.

Luna and Usagi share a look. "I think this warrants an emergency meeting," Luna says.

Usagi nods and pulls out her communicator, typing out a message to Mizuno and Rei.

**Sailor Moon 21:12  
Girls, meet at the Hikawa shrine ASAP!**

As soon as the message is sent she heads out herself, Luna hot on her heels.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Both girls are already there by the time Usagi and Luna arrive. "Did you see Jadeite in the sky earlier?" she asks as soon as she's joined them. They both nod solemnly.

"I don't think we should go," Rei says. "It's clearly a trap, and I've got a bad feeling about it."

"I don't think we have a choice," Usagi retorts. "You saw what he said he would do to Tokyo. We can't let the city burn." She turns to Mizuno. "What do you think?"

Mizuno is silent for a moment as she no doubt considers every option available to them. Usagi is willing to trust her opinion; she is the genius of the group, after all. "I think…" she begins, "we should go. Jadeite is challenging us directly, and this might be our best opportunity to defeat him once and for all."

"Do you think we can beat him?" Usagi asks, frowning in concern. "When I fought him, he easily beat me. Can the three of us really do much better?"

"We don't have a choice," Mizuno says. "But I think we can. After all, that was you on your own. With the three of us we should be able to come up with something that can defeat him."

"You mean you can come up with something that can defeat him," Usagi jokes.

Mizuno rolls her eyes but doesn't argue the fact. "I have some ideas, but we won't be able to make anything concrete because we don't know what he has in store for us." But for the next hour Mizuno draws up half-baked plans and strategies they can use when they head to the airport tomorrow morning. It calms Usagi's nerves, if only a little bit, to have some idea of what to do instead of going in blind like she usually does.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next morning Usagi almost contemplates skipping school since she's so worried about that evening, but she manages to make it in time. She rather wishes she hadn't, though. All her classmates can talk about is Jadeite's apparition last night, and to her horror many of them want to get together and go to the airport themselves. 'Don't they realize that this isn't some game?' she thinks incredulously. She's glad when Sakurada-sensei comes in and scolds them for being reckless, but it does nothing to ease Usagi's nerves. They were already concerned about fighting Jadeite, but if the airport is crawling with security and curious passersby it'll make their job a whole lot harder than necessary.

Usagi can't focus on class at all that day and walks home in a daze. They'd agreed the night before to meet at Rei's at midnight and then head to the airport together, so she's got the afternoon to kill. Under normal circumstances Usagi might've gone to the arcade, but she's still too stressed and she doesn't want Motoki-oniisan noticing something up with her and asking questions. Who knows, with all this mental strain on her brain she might just blab her secret to him, and wouldn't that be horrible? She takes a nap instead, setting an alarm just to be safe in case Luna doesn't come back to get her.

It ends up a wasted effort since she gets up an hour before it's set to go off. She'd been dreaming, and though now that she's awake Usagi can't remember what it was about, but she remembers feeling startled right before she woke up. Whatever it was, she awoke sweating and breathing heavily. With nothing better to do Usagi went to bathe, if only to relax somewhat before leaving. This could be the last nice bath she ever enjoyed, might as well make the most of it, she supposes.

Twenty minutes to midnight she slips out of the house, dropping easily from her second story window even though she hasn't transformed. It's a little rougher than usual, but she doesn't break an ankle. None of the buses are running this late, so Usagi has a decent walk to contemplate what they're about to do. Idly she wonders if Mizuno and Rei-chan have been stressing about their confrontation with Jadeite all day. Mizuno probably hasn't. She came up with their plans last night, after all, and she doesn't strike Usagi as the kind of girl to second-guess herself. But Rei…she wonders if the shrine maiden tried divining how the confrontation would go in that ceremonial flame of hers. If she did, Usagi isn't sure she wants to know what results the girl got. If it's anything close to bad she might just bail on this.

"Tsukino," a voice remarks, startling her out of her internal reverie. Usagi looks up to find Mizuno standing across from her at the base of the shrine's steps. Somehow she managed to walk the entire way without really paying attention.

"Mizuno," she replies.

The other teen regards her carefully for a moment, her head tilting to the side with her thoughts. Then she cracks a wry grin. "You know, we could potentially be going to die together. Don't you think we should at least be on a first name basis by now?" she remarks.

Usagi snorts. "Fine by me, Ami."

"Usagi," the genius replies. By unspoken command they start walking up the steps together, and just like that the distant genius becomes Ami. Usagi had thought it would be a lot harder convincing the other girl to let her call her by name, but she'd thought wrong, apparently.

Rei is waiting for them at the top of the steps, still in her shrine uniform. Usagi at least had changed into some comfortable capri pants and t-shirt, and even Ami has gone casual – well, Usagi assumes a button-down, vest, pants, and neat shoes are casual for her; she doesn't know. She had contemplated wearing something nice just on the off-chance she actually did die, that way people would find her and she'd be pretty, but then figured it wouldn't matter. There might not even be anyone around to care if Jadeite won.

"Girls, are you ready?" Luna solemnly asks them.

Usagi pulls her transformation brooch from her pocket, Ami and Rei drawing their transformation pens as well. "As ready as we'll ever be," she replies. Then their voices ring out in unison.

"Moon Prism Power Make Up!" "Mercury Power Make Up!" "Mars Power Make Up!"

When Usagi opens her eyes again they all stand in their uniforms, with Luna beside them wearing a proud expression. She meets the eyes of her companions, steely determination shining through. Usagi closes her eyes and swallows down the fear she instinctively feels when Jadeite is even mentioned. They can't have any doubts tonight. They have to succeed. When she feels confident enough she opens her eyes and nods. "Let's go!" she orders. They take off running out of the shrine, leaping over buildings almost as if they're flying.

'Sometimes being a Sailor Guardian does have its perks,' Usagi thinks as the wind blows through her hair.

.

_Jadeite_

His eyes widen as he almost can't believe what he sees through the scrying portal he's got open before him. Blinking furiously to regain his composure, he vanishes the thing, finding it no longer necessary now that he knows the Sailor Guardians are on their way. He's already waiting in the airport for them, having taken care of the human security guards that were hanging around to deter trespassers. Foolish mortals. As if they could stop a Commander of the Dark Kingdom.

He had opened the portal on a whim, his previous thoughts about the Hino girl returning to him. He'd opened it where he sensed her presence, intending to confirm that his suspicions were anything but valid, but what he'd seen had only confirmed them. Hino Rei was indeed a Sailor Guardian – Sailor Mars in fact – as were her little friends. Queen Beryl would be most pleased with this information, though it might not be necessary once he eliminated them tonight.

A faint emotion brushes at the edge of his consciousness as he thinks about the Guardians. It feels…familiar, almost, but that would be absurd. Never mind what he saw before, it was all a trick. He will not let these frivolous thoughts distract him. Tonight, he has a mission.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Tsukino Usagi_

When they land at the entrance to Hanade Airport just minutes before 1 AM, they're not surprised to find it eerily empty. Mizuno – Ami, Usagi reminds herself – activates her goggles and starts scanning the area for any potential traps. Usagi and Rei wait patiently, but when she comes up with nothing they agree to head inside. They have no idea where Jadeite might be, though they don't doubt that he's watching them. It prickles the hairs at the back of Usagi's neck knowing they're being observed, but they have no choice. This is Jadeite's game.

Ami leads them deeper into the building, heading for the waiting areas closer to the actual planes. She's constantly scanning for movement, so Usagi does her best to stay alert. She strains all of her senses, and for a second she thinks she's imagining the quick footsteps down the hall from them. It makes her pause, catching the attention of her two companions in the meantime. They share a look before Ami confirms what Usagi hears. "People," she says, just before they turn a corner and come into their view, far too close for comfort.

"Run!" Usagi snaps, turning and sprinting away. They need to put some distance between themselves and the guards to regroup, since Usagi is pretty sure they can't just face them outright. She doesn't want to chance using an attack on innocent humans roped into Jadeite's game, but she also doesn't want to confront them unless she has to. Some of them are carrying asps and tasers and Usagi is barely confident in her own skills - when uninjured - to subdue a man, much less Rei's and Ami's.

Usagi doesn't bother questioning Ami where she's leading them, though she does notice when they leave the building and end up on the tarmac with the massive grounded planes. "Advice, Ami?" she asks, though one of her hands twitches towards her tiara in preparation for her answer. They're standing facing the door, and Usagi can already hear them clambering down the metal stairs. It'll be just moments before they will face each other.

She hears frantic clicking on the supercomputer behind them before Ami reports, "They're just clay."

Rei steps forward. "Then a little fire will be fine. Mars Fire Soul!" The flame sweeps through their incoming attack and the guards quickly start to crack, breaking down into piles of dust much like Jadeite's monsters would. Usagi breathes a sigh of relief and is about to congratulate her friend when another voice rings out powerfully over the airport.

"At last you're here, Sailor Guardians," Jadeite sneers. "And now…I know your true identities. The joys of life are short-lived and its ordeals many. It's time for you to die."

Before Usagi even has time to panic about the fact he apparently knows who she is, they hear a massive groaning of metal equipment and Usagi's heart drops to her feet. "No," she groans as she watches the plane closest to them start turning, its tires making a horrible screeching sound as they scrape over the tarmac. Then it starts moving forward.

"We need to get away from the building or the plane will hit it!" Ami hisses to them as she turns around and starts sprinting. The wind and noise is picking up as the plane's engines start spinning faster and faster.

'They can't possibly be that dangerous,' Usagi thinks. 'People stand on the ground as the planes move all the time.' But she isn't about to test Jadeite's powers and whatever other manipulations he may have put on the plane. Those engines could be life-sucking vortexes for all she knows, capable of dragging her in if she gets within a meter of them.

So they run.

"Ami, what do we do now!?" she shouts as they run. This definitely wasn't anywhere in the plans they had drafted up last night.

"I'm thinking!" the other girl retorts. She might be staring at something on her goggles, but Usagi isn't sure. She's just kinda glad she put away her computer. It would have been amazing if she could have run and still used it, though, as hilarious to watch as that might've been.

It's a good thing airports are massive, since it gives them plenty of space to run, and somehow Usagi isn't feeling as tired as she normally would after having run this far. Whatever it is she's grateful, since her shoulder is giving her enough trouble. But of course, it's never this easy. The noise suddenly gets louder and Usagi spares a glance to the side to watch a second massive plane start taxiing up the runway parallel to theirs.

"There's two of them!" she alerts Ami, though the other girl has likely already noticed. It's kind of hard not to.

"I may have an idea," Rei speaks up. "But it will be pretty expensive." A vague image flashes across Usagi's mind and she smirks, hearing Ami snort on the other side of Rei.

"Compared to our lives?" Usagi asks. "I'll take it."

Ami nods in agreement. "On three we split. Sailor Moon, you go left while we go right." Usagi tries not to panic at the idea of facing down a jet all on her own. "We'll try and circle around, then you direct it our way and we'll meet somewhere in the middle. It should be far enough away from the actual airport that the only thing damaged will be the planes."

"And possibly ourselves," Usagi mutters, though the downward quirk in Ami's lips tells her she likely heard it. "Ready when you are," she says.

"Three…two…one!" Ami counts down.

Usagi starts sprinting over on the other airstrip, much closer to the second plane than she'd been before. It's unnerving, but her speed doesn't falter and she isn't sucked away by the engines so she counts it as a win. Out of the corner of her eye she tries to keep track of the other two to watch their progress and gauge her timing. It doesn't look easy, trying to get a massive jumbo jet to try and turn on any kind of small radius, but that must be Jadeite's magic at play moving the plane like that.

When she can see Ami and Rei's plane start turning towards her direction she begins heading to the right, leading the plane over grass and tarmac alike as she races towards her companions. They'll meet in moments, but then what, Usagi wonders.

'We can't duck to the side until the last possible moments,' she hears Ami's voice in her head answer her unspoken question. Or maybe not unspoken. 'The planes can't have any opportunity to turn and chase us. It'll be a close call.'

'You timing?' Usagi mentally questions as her breath starts to get tight. So there is still a limit to her endurance, even in this form.

'Yeah,' Ami replies, but then their mental link goes silent.

Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury are close enough that Usagi can make out their distinctive figures, differentiate their skirts from their bows and collars. She has pretty good eyesight, but the distance between them is rapidly closing and she starts hoping that Ami will speak up soon. She doesn't want to make up the stuffing of an airplane sandwich.

'NOW!' Ami suddenly shouts as she and Rei dart to their right. Usagi nearly trips but manages to follow them without stumbling. Their planes are still barreling towards each other, and though they try to turn they're just too large to do that with the space the girls left them. The nose collides with the other's side while the right wing of Usagi's plane scrapes into the other with a horrible screech.

For a second she thinks that'll be that, but then the explosions start and they aren't nearly far away enough to avoid them. Usagi feels an intense heat at her back seconds before she and the girls are lifted off their feet and thrown forward. She lands roughly against the ground – and wow is this a sensation Usagi is starting to get used to – and knows her hands and knees are scraped up, possibly along with the rest of her arms. Her shoulder is wrenched horribly and she barely resists crying out. Usagi is proud she just managed to avoid straight up cracking her head on the ground, tumbling into a roll from her momentum. She can only hope her companions are similarly uninjured.

Dark, thick smoke starts to fill the sky from the wreckage burning not 200 meters behind them. Even from their distance the flames are hot on Usagi's face, and she doesn't want to think about what her back must look like from the burns. She's momentarily mesmerized by the inferno before a hacking cough draws her attention back to Ami and Rei. The girls are just starting to pick themselves up, and quick glances show they're not seriously harmed.

Usagi lets out a breath of relief. "That was one hell of an idea, Sailor Mars," she remarks dryly.

The other girl lets out a rough chuckle. "I have them sometimes." But then her demeanor grows serious as she stands, only slightly wobbly on her heels. "We still need to find Jadeite."

"Or rather, I will find you," a voice snarls and they quickly turn their backs to the wreckage – the heat painful on her raw back – to find Jadeite stalking up to them. "I suppose it was too much to wish for the planes to have taken you out as well. I'll just have to do it myself then."

Usagi quickly stands and rushes towards him, a half-baked plan forming in her mind to give her comrades some time to recover. Since the last time Usagi had fought him she's had minimal martial arts training, but she hopes it's enough to tip the scales a little in her favor. She aims a punch at his face, unsurprised when it's blocked by that invisible force field of his. It doesn't stop her from trying again. She rains blows down on Jadeite, but it's all pointless. He either blocks her hits with a hand or the force field barrier he conjures. Usagi starts to grow frustrated when she can barely land a scratch on him.

"Mercury Bubble Spray!" Usagi hears moments before the area is covered by a dense fog. It would almost be beneficial, giving her an opportunity to attack Jadeite, if only she could see him. 'Forward one foot and two to your right,' she then hears Ami's voice in her head.

Deciding not to question how the other girl knows Jadeite's or her own position, Usagi moves to where she directed, spotting a dark figure in the mist. She lashes out, landing a solid kick to his stomach that has Jadeite bending over with a wheeze. He tries to reach out for her but Usagi quickly jumps back to hide herself in the fog. She starts moving to the side, hoping to circle around him and surprise him again.

'Two feet directly in front of you,' Ami directs her again.

She lunges forward, throwing out another kick to his legs that knock him down to kneeling, and then punching him in the head while he's disoriented. That's all she can manage before Jadeite starts to figure where she's coming from, swiping an arm out and forcing her to retreat. Usagi has only taken a couple of steps back to the left when she hears Jadeite grunt in pain again and wonders if Rei has joined in on the attack under Ami's direction.

They manage a couple more attacks each before Jadeite finally becomes fed up with them, standing up with an angry shout. "I've had enough of this!" Usagi tenses, waiting to see what he'll do, when all of a sudden the fog starts to condense into hard crystals that quickly fall to the ground. Usagi and Rei are quickly revealed surrounding Jadeite, with Ami still back near the wreckage. Jadeite grins wickedly as he eyes the two of them, waiting for them to make their move.

Usagi meets Rei's eyes for all of a second before the two girls are moving towards him in tandem. But then Rei pauses while Usagi continues her assault, drawing Jadeite's attention. She aims a punch at his head, though she's surprised when, instead of his invisible barrier, he catches her hand. His reason is clear a moment later when he twists sharply, easily breaking her wrist. Usagi falters with a pained gasp, just as they hear Rei shout, "Mars Fire Soul!" Usagi kicks out and manages to – painfully – yank her hand out of his grip and dive to the right to avoid the flames sweeping towards her, rolling and coming up in a crouch. She clutches her wounded wrist protectively.

Jadeite only barely manages to dodge it himself, taking the brunt of the attack on his right side. He shoots a dark glare at Rei. "You're going to regret that, Sailor Mars," he says. "Or should I say, Hino Rei?" Her eyes widen in surprise across from Usagi, as her heart drops down to her stomach. "I know all of your identities now, but you will die as pathetic Sailor Guardians!" He vanishes, reappearing a moment later right in front of Rei before slamming his fist in her gut. She doubles over, coughing up air and spit, but Jadeite isn't done. He yanks her up by her hair and tosses her roughly to the side. Rei lets out a pained shout as her wounds are further scraped by the rough tarmac.

"Mercury Bu –!" Ami begins, but she cuts off with a horrid choking sound as Jadeite turns on her. His arm is outstretched again, his hand closed almost as if he's holding something.

Furiously blinking away her disorientation, Usagi is horrified to realize he's choking her. She makes a jerky movement to grab her tiara, though Jadeite doesn't hesitate. A sharp snap of his arm towards her and Usagi starts to feel a squeezing pressure at her throat, blocking her access to air. She gapes as her lungs struggle to draw breath, to no avail.

'Is this how we die?' she wonders as she spasms in Jadeite's invisible grip.

Moments later Jadeite is shouting in pain and the pressure abruptly leaves her neck. Usagi falls forward heaving for breath, though she quickly recovers to watch Jadeite clutch at his face. There's blood dripping down the side of his cheek from a long gash spanning from his ear to his chin below the corner of his lips. Usagi wonders where it came from, but then she notices the single rose stuck in the ground at his feet.

"Tuxedo Mask!" she cries, a sudden happiness filling her as she realizes that all might not be lost for them.

Jadeite quickly turns to scope out the area, but there's no one aside from the four of them. He turns a snarl on Usagi, only to fall forward as some weight crashes into his back. It doesn't disorient him nearly as much as Usagi would've hoped, Jadeite falling forward into a roll and using his momentum to stand back up again. But where he stood before is Tuxedo Mask, who has his black cane outstretched in front of him as he prepares for a fight.

"Another one?" Jadeite snarls. "I'll kill you along with them!" He lunges for Tuxedo Mask, and Usagi uses the temporary distraction to head for her teammates.

Ami is the closest, but she seems fine when Usagi approaches and so she quickly moves to the other girl. Rei isn't too far away, but she has yet to get up and Usagi is concerned. She crouches beside her friend and reaches out to shake her with her good arm. "Sailor Mars? Sailor Mars!" When she receives no response her movements start to get desperate. "Sailor Mars! Rei-chan!" She glances back at Jadeite and Tuxedo Mask to gauge their fight, but they're fully engaged with one another. It doesn't stop her tone from getting more urgent, though. "Rei-chan! Rei-chan!"

Finally she starts to hear a groan, followed by some hoarse coughing. Rei's eyes slowly blink as she tries to sit up, though she has trouble when she recognizes the pain from her ribs. Usagi helps her sit the rest of the way. "Can you still move?" she asks. She needs to know if she can still fight. They're the only two of the three of them with any offensive attacks, and Usagi isn't sure how much longer Tuxedo Mask can hold out.

"Yeah," Rei replies shakily, though the hand she has tossed over Usagi's shoulder to help her balance trembles ever so slightly.

"We need a plan," Ami says, coming up behind the two girls, eyeing Tuxedo Mask and Jadeite herself. "If only we could communicate with him as well."

"We'll have to plan around him," Usagi says.

"If he can give me…just an opening," Rei says, though it sounds painful for her to do so, "I can stop Jadeite with my talisman. But Sailor Moon, you'll have to finish him off."

Usagi nods in determination. "Just get him to stop for two seconds and I'll do it." She turns her attention back to the two men still battling it out. Jadeite seems to have forgone his telepathic powers in favor of actually beating the hell out of Tuxedo Mask, though the masked man is holding his own well enough. They seem to be rather evenly matched, which Usagi can tell frustrates Jadeite to no end. Their battle has started to drift from the trio, and Usagi knows they'll have to start approaching before they can enact their plan.

Rei still leans a bit on her as they move forward, Ami studying them intently for the chance for Rei to act. Usagi's arm twitches, desperately wanting to reach for her tiara and ever wary of missing the moment she'll need to. When they stand at the edge of the boys' fight, Usagi catches Tuxedo Mask glancing their way and wonders if he realizes they have a plan, vague though it may be. He must, because he soon starts trying to herd Jadeite towards them, though he takes a couple more hits for it.

As if sensing the opportunity approaching, Rei starts to stand more on her own. She closes her eyes in concentration, her hand coming up in a position before her chest, the talisman materializing once she's concentrating. Usagi tenses, her eyes never leaving the two men. Tuxedo Mask strikes at Jadeite though he manages to catch it, leaving Tuxedo Mask wide open to a strike at his chest. He goes down after a heavy hit, collapsing to his knees, but it doesn't stop him for long. He jabs at Jadeite's chest right at his eye level and the blond staggers back.

Rei doesn't hesitate. Her eyes snap open as she lunges forward with a cry, "Evil spirit, be exorcised!" She slaps the talisman solidly on his back and Jadeite is frozen, his face shocked by the sudden turn of events.

Now it's her turn. "Moon Tiara Action!" She flings it at Jadeite, confident that he won't be stopping this one.

"Mars Fire Soul!" Rei shouts beside her, to Usagi's surprise, adding her own flames to her tiara's power. It coats it with a bright red light.

'With their combined attack there's no way Jadeite will survive,' Usagi thinks.

The tiara hits him solidly in the back, engulfing Jadeite in a swathe of flames. He screams, though they soon die out and the flames dissipate moments afterwards, leaving nothing behind. Usagi's tiara drops to the ground with a clatter right before Tuxedo Mask, who's looking a little shocked from the spontaneous combustion right before his eyes.

"Is it over?" Rei asks, taking a halting step forward. Ami starts taking a look around with her goggles, her eyes narrowed at the data flashing across the screen. Usagi raises an arm and calls her tiara back to her, the object hurtling towards her hand a moment later and she replaces it on her head. Tuxedo Mask stands before them.

"I think so," Ami finally says moments later. The girls share a glance before almost simultaneously heaving a sigh of relief.

Out of the corner of her eye Usagi catches Tuxedo Mask smirking at them, and she turns to him with a smile of her own. "Thank you for coming to our aid," she says. She's never had the proper opportunity to thank him for helping her out so much, and she isn't going to waste it now.

"It's no problem, Sailor Moon," he replies. "But I must take my leave now." He starts to turn away, but Ami's interjection stops him momentarily.

"Wait! Who are you, really? Are you truly our ally, or just the enemy of our enemy? How can we trust you?" she blurts one after the other.

Tuxedo Mask grimaces, and Usagi is disappointed to realize he isn't going to answer the questions. His next words only confirm her suspicion. "I'm afraid I can't tell you any of that," he says, turning back away from them. "But you should cherish the bond between each other. It'll help you go far, and things are only going to get tougher from here, I expect."

"And how do you know that?" Ami tries to press, but her question goes unheard as Tuxedo Mask just about vanishes, his form quickly disappearing down towards the airport. Ami lets out a groan of frustration, her lips thinned with her displeasure. "Asshole," she mutters.

Usagi snorts in amusement, but the action jolts at her back that she just now is starting to realize still burns. Now that the adrenaline is starting to wear off all of her injuries will soon be broadcasting their presence, and she knows it'll be the same for her comrades. "Come on, we should head out too," she tells them. "I don't know about you, but I'm fucking beat." It draws chuckles from them both.

"We're all a sorry bunch, aren't we?" Rei remarks dryly, but then grimaces. "I think my ribs are cracked," she groans, one of her hands coming to wrap protectively around her side.

Usagi winces in sympathy, well aware of the pain she must be in. "If it's any consolation, my wrist is probably broken," she tells her.

Ami huffs, the only one without any serious injuries. "You two are far too reckless," she mutters, sighing heavily. "Sailor Moon is right, we should go. If you have supplies, Rei-chan, I can patch you both up at the Hikawa Shrine." She starts to head off, Usagi and Rei falling in at both of her sides.

Usagi shoots a curious look at the genius. "You can?" she asks.

"Of course I can," she says, glancing at Usagi out of the corner of her eye. "I am studying to become a doctor, after all. This kind of thing is simple."

"Right, I forgot. Genius," Usagi mutters, rolling her eyes though there's a smirk forming on her lips.

Ami snorts. "You're damn right."

"Oh!" Usagi interjects, pausing. Both Ami and Rei stop as well to look at her. "I just remembered, it's June 30th. I'm 15 now." Usagi blinks. "What a hell of a way to start my birthday," she remarks with a grin, drawing chuckles from her companions.


	16. Jadeite's Punishment

Author's Note: Make sure you've read Chapter 15 before you read this one.

* * *

_Jadeite_

Jadeite abruptly appears before Queen Beryl, very disoriented by the sudden change in scenery. Not to mention, his skin is still tingling painfully from the flames that had covered him just moments before. A sharp pain in his back reminds him why that was. "Damn those Sailor brats!" he spits out.

"That's enough, Jadeite!" Queen Beryl's voice booms, and Jadeite looks up in horror as he realizes where he is.

"Queen Beryl!" he gapes in surprise.

Her intense eyes stare him down without an ounce of pity. "You have failed me for the last time," she says. "I warned you what would happen…"

"No! No, please, Queen Beryl," Jadeite pleads as the reality of what's about to happen dawns on him. She can't get rid of him now. "I know the identities of the Sailor Guardians," he quickly informs her, hoping that will make her reconsider. "I can attack them any time I want to now. They will be dead before they know it, if you'll just give me one more chance," he pleads.

"Silence!" she snaps, a note of finality in her tone. "I don't want your excuses, Jadeite. I will not tolerate your weakness in my Kingdom. You have outlived your use."

"No –" Jadeite tries to plead, dropping to his knees before her in an attempt to beg, but Queen Beryl is beyond listening now. She raises a hand as dark energy gathers in her palm, her eyes glowing brightly. Something seizes within Jadeite and he can no longer move a thing. Then everything goes black.

.

_Nephrite_

He watches from the shadows as Jadeite is punished. Queen Beryl's awesome power takes a hold of him, stopping him in place as his form starts to shine. When the light eventually fades moments later, all that's left behind is a shiny green rock where Jadeite once kneeled.

Nephrite scoffs. 'And this is what the once-great Commander has been reduced to,' he mentally sneers at his now-dead comrade. 'Good riddance.'

"Nephrite!" Queen Beryl suddenly snaps, and within the next instant Nephrite is appearing before the court just beside where Jadeite last sat.

"Yes, my Queen?" he asks, bowing.

"You will take over Jadeite's mission," she orders. "Gather energy for the Dark Kingdom, and eliminate those damn Sailor Guardians!"

"As you wish, Queen Beryl."


	17. Nephrite Appears

_Tsukino Usagi_

They get nearly two weeks without incident after Jadeite's apparent death. Apparent, because Ami doesn't believe he's actually dead. She's the only one who thinks so, merely because there was no body left behind, but the rest of them are under the impression that Jadeite won't be returning to bother them any longer. On one hand Usagi is glad. The idea of fighting Jadeite always made her nervous, and she dreaded their encounters. But on the other hand, if the enemy appears it isn't going to be something they're familiar with, and that makes her scared. Better the enemy you know than the enemy you don't, after all. Waiting for something to go wrong leaves Usagi edgy, though she tries to distract herself with video games and manga. Luna chides her to work harder on her studies, but Usagi isn't willing to give up the game just yet.

Today, she feels like hanging around the school. Lately Luna has been hounding her to start her training again while they've got the break, and it's gotten to the point where the cat won't let a moment go by without bringing it up. Her only respite is when she's a school, or doing schoolwork. Hence the reason she's decided to hang back this afternoon. Luna is probably waiting at the arcade to pounce on her, and Usagi isn't in the mood today.

So she heads up to the roof. It's become one of her favorite places, lately. Being so high up with the wind blowing through her hair reminds Usagi of when she jumps from building to building as Sailor Moon. Not to mention she likes being able to watch the other students down below because they all look so tiny.

A commotion on the tennis courts draws her attention, the chatter of the accumulated crowd interrupting her peaceful ruminating. She scowls and walks over to the section of roof overlooking the courts to see what's going on. Members of the tennis club – boy's and girl's – are challenging one girl, though Usagi doesn't recognize her. But she does recall hearing about a tennis champion at their school. Apparently there's a tournament coming up or something like that. Usagi doesn't understand what the big hype is all about.

She almost turns away from the scene, curiosity satisfied, when an odd figure catches her eye. He stands out from the gathered crowd of students, being far older than the rest and dressed in a fashionable yellow shirt and white pants, and that's not even mentioning his long, wavy brown hair. Usagi watches, confused for a number of reasons, as he approaches the court fence and then _jumps right over it. _Usagi's eyes widen in surprise and she leans against the roof's fence to get a better look, but from this distance she can't see a thing. She turns and hurries for the stairs, making her way down to the ground floor as quickly as she can. Once she hops down the last remaining stairs she heads right for the tennis courts, hoping to catch the guy while he's still there.

By the time she reaches them the gathered crowd is quiet and Usagi wonders what just happened. She spots Osaka standing at the gate and makes her way over to the other girl, hoping she'll be able to answer Usagi's questions. She nudges her classmate in the shoulder, startling her out of her staring at the court. "What's going on?" she asks. Out of the corner of her eye she sees the man hand his racket off to another girl on the court while the tennis star prepares to serve.

"I-I don't know," Osaka admits, her gaze straying back to the man. "He just got on court and hit Rui-niisan's serve back at her."

Usagi's eyes narrow as she looks between the figures on the court. The man is watching Rui, who must be the tennis star, and when Usagi glances at her she gets a bad feeling about the intense look in the girl's eyes. She serves, hitting a hard ball straight past the girl opposite her. The crowd cheers, and it seems to snap Rui out of whatever funk she was in because she immediately starts smiling. Then she looks around for the man, but he's already walked off the court.

Usagi, realizing Osaka is too engrossed in the practice matches to be of any real help, easily walks away to follow the man. There's just something about him that pings her instincts, and not in a good way. She heads for the school's gates, spotting a flashy red sports car parked on the opposite curb. The man is just getting into the car. Usagi watches him the whole time until the car is speeding down the road and out of sight.

She worries at her lip with her teeth as she tries to think about what she just saw. What happened was definitely odd – no normal person just casually jumps over a 15-foot fence like that – but whether it was abnormal enough to be worth investigating was another issue. But just as she starts trying to rationalize why leaving it be would be fine, she gets a notification from her communicator. She pulls the device from her pocket and glances at the screen where a message from Rei is displayed.

**Sailor Mars 15:35  
Luna says meeting at Hikawa Shrine 16:00**

Usagi sighs as she pockets the communicator. 'Might as well head over,' she thinks before doing just that, thoughts of the unusual man slipping from her mind.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ami is the last to show, just a couple of minutes after Usagi arrives, and once they're all comfortably seated in Rei's room Luna begins the meeting. "I have some information to share with you all," the cat starts. The three of them look at her expectantly. "Firstly, we have confirmed that the Dark Kingdom is after energy, human energy to be specific. The only thing is, we don't know what they want to do with this energy."

"Take over the world?" Usagi throws out, resting her head on her hand. It's just begun and she's already bored.

"Obviously," Ami mutters in response.

"How?" Rei asks.

"My guess is they have a weapon of some sort," Luna says, shooting a scowl at Usagi and Ami though neither girl is particularly perturbed. "But at this point all we can do is speculate, and prevent them from gathering energy."

"Which we've been pretty successful about so far," Usagi points out.

Luna nods in agreement. "Yes, and we need to keep it that way. Which brings me to my second point: I think you girls need training." Usagi groans – just the topic she'd been trying to avoid today – but Luna pays her no mind. "Your last fight with Jadeite has only made it more obvious that none of you have much experience with combat, and that can become an issue as your enemies grow stronger. Ideally it would be best for you to train individually and as a team, but we'll have to see what we can manage."

Ami makes a face that Usagi mentally agrees with. "I don't think I like the idea of combat training."

Luna gives her a narrow-eyed look. "Do you like the idea of dying?"

Ami opens her mouth, most likely to retort, but Rei quickly speaks up to stop the argument before it can start. "Where would we even get training? Did you have something in mind?"

"Ah, well," Luna begins a little sheepishly, "I hadn't, actually, though I have been looking at some of the gyms downtown. That's where Usagi had trained before, so I thought it might work well again."

"But let's not forget the gym I was going to was trying to steal everyone's energy," Usagi reminds her.

"Yes, but I'm sure that won't happen again," Luna mutters. "I need you girls to be on the lookout for anything you may be interested in." Ami rolls her eyes and Luna scowls at the genius. "It's your life at stake, Ami-chan, not mine. I'm just doing my best to keep you girls alive." Ami's lips thin with her displeasure but she doesn't say anything else, and after a moment of staring Luna continues the meeting. "As of yet we still have not determined the face of our new enemy, so all we can do is prepare for when they strike. I've got the computers constantly scanning for anything abnormal, so I want you girls ready for anything."

"There is one thing," Ami pipes up once Luna finishes, and when she has their attention she continues. "I have yet to determine whether this is definitely abnormal, but I have been picking up an elevated energy signature concentrated in a singular area, which I've identified as Juuban Public Middle School."

Something about that rings in Usagi's mind, and she thinks back to what she'd witnessed earlier. "How new are these readings?" she hears herself ask before consciously deciding to speak.

Her comrades turn their attention to her. "Earlier this afternoon was when I recorded the first spike," Ami answers.

"Did you see something, Usagi-chan?" Luna asks.

Usagi chews her lip for a moment before deciding to share what she saw. "There was a man at the tennis club's practice today. Normal looking, but he cleared the court's fence in one jump and then challenged the star of the team, and beat her. Afterwards there was something…off about her. I tried to follow when he left but he took off in a fancy sports car."

"Do you think there's a chance this man caused the energy spike?" Rei asks.

Ami shrugs. "No idea. Spikes in energy aren't as uncommon as you'd think. If I had to guess I'd say they occur when someone feels hyped or really intense emotions. Despite the high output, it's too early to determine whether the reading is good or bad, but I'll continue to monitor it for any changes."

Luna nods. "Good. Keep us updated if anything does."

"Obviously," Ami repeats.

Luna ignores the girl. "Then I think that's all we needed to discuss. You girls are dismissed for the afternoon, but continue to think about what I've said. I'm serious about getting you girls training."

"Yeah, yeah," Usagi replies as she stands, Rei doing the same. "Well, I'm off then." 'To the arcade,' she adds mentally, but she isn't about to tell Luna that.

"Goodbye, Usagi-chan," she hears Rei say as she leaves the room. "Ami-chan, are you going to stay here to work?" the girl continues, but Ami's reply is lost as Usagi moves too far away to hear. Luckily for her, Luna isn't following, so Usagi wastes no time heading right for the Crown Game Center to salvage her afternoon, thoughts of training and new enemies wiped from her mind.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Usagi isn't bothered for the rest of the afternoon as she plays the new Sailor V video game, and it's a pleasant change from the norm. Every moment she spends in Luna's presence the cat, when not hounding her about her homework or training, is warning her about being vigilant for new enemies, and it's just too stressful, in Usagi's opinion. The cat doesn't need to remind her; she's well aware their job isn't finished and there may be a new attack any day now. Just because she isn't actively showing her stress doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. But in Usagi's opinion, there's nothing she can do about it right now, so why worry? Both Ami and Luna are looking out for things, and she's paying attention – well, half paying attention – to the energies around her, so there's no reason to get worked up.

When the sun starts to go down and Motoki begins to close up the arcade Usagi decides she's loitered long enough and should probably start heading home. With a quick stretch and groan she heads out, throwing a casual farewell to the college student before leaving the shopping district. It's been a while since she was able to just do nothing for so long. 'But how long will this peace last?' she wonders to herself, thoughts from earlier that day intruding despite her intentions.

She frowns, suddenly irked. The thought of returning home seems unappealing now, especially since there's a good chance Luna will be waiting there for her. Usagi isn't in the mood for another lecture, especially after the meeting from today, so she turns down the alley on her left, intending on taking a long detour back home, if only to put off the inevitable a little longer.

In the silence of the residential district it's easy for Usagi to get lost in her thoughts, try as she might to avoid it. But something about that afternoon has stuck in her mind, and some part of her knows that things are going to be changing soon. That man…he is not an ordinary man, Usagi is sure of it. 'Will he end up being Jadeite's replacement?' she wonders, vowing to keep an extra eye out for him or that car of his.

Just as she thinks this, a loud streak of red shoots down the road in front of her. Usagi blinks incredulously. "No fucking way," she mutters incredulously. 'I mean, it's not like he has the only red sports car in this town,' she argues with herself. 'And what would the odds be that's him right as I'm thinking of him?' She shakes her head. "It's fine," she has to verbally tell herself, forcing her feet to continue towards her house.

A moment later there's a sharp spike in energy that even Usagi can feel, limited as her energy sensing abilities are. "Shit," she curses, taking off in a run in the direction she'd seen the car speeding. From there she relies on the massive energy output to guide her towards the sports arena situated in the neighborhood. The back lights are on over the tennis courts so Usagi heads right for them, easily jumping over the fence around the building. When she arrives she takes a moment to observe the situation.

The court is empty save for four figures, one Usagi recognizes as the girl from her school earlier. There's an oddly intense look in her eyes as she taunts her two opponents for failing to catch her receive. Her two opponents watch her carefully, almost backing away to the exit. Oddly enough, Osaka is there as well, saying something to her friend, but they're the only ones present, to her displeasure. She hadn't even seen a red sports car at the front of the building. If that man from today is involved – which she suspects he is – she has no way to prove it.

Rui snaps something and swings her racket forward, a thick energy shooting from its face to knock Osaka and the men off their feet into the bushes at the back of the court. Usagi hears a couple of groans, but none of them get back up. Then Rui's energy spikes even further and Usagi watches a dark figure rise up from the racket. The energy output spikes to an all-time high as it starts to take shape, only dying down once it's fully formed and standing over Rui's prone body. She – it? – is pale, wearing a full black body suit with red accents. The pointed red nails don't escape Usagi's notice either.

'Shit,' Usagi thinks as she palms her transformation brooch. There's no time for her to call the others, so she can only hope that Ami is paying attention to her computer and noticed the energy spike. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

When the warm feeling fades she steps out onto the court, and for a moment they eye each other up, both waiting for the other to make a move. Usagi doesn't know what to do; should she just go for her tiara and try to kill it? But she doesn't want to provoke it into attacking, especially without any backup, and somehow she gets the feeling this one won't be like the monsters they've faced before. Finally, she decides to talk to it. Perhaps that way she can learn something interesting.

"I don't know what you want with Rui-senpai, but I won't allow whatever this is to continue," she proclaims, hoping there's no one nearby to hear her. It sounds stupid enough in her own ears. "I am the Guardian of Love and Justice, Sailor Moon. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you."

"Sailor Moon, eh?" the creature – that sounds distinctly female – growls. "Your energy will belong to our great kingdom!" Then she generates a racket of flames, and in the center is a concentrated mass of flaming energy. She doesn't hesitate to swing it at Usagi.

She jumps to the side, easily dodging the projectile. "Well that was rude," she mutters dryly, feeling a little comforted. Then an explosion behind her rocks her forward, nearly making her lose her balance, and she quickly rethinks her previous thought. A glance back shows a small crater where the projectile had landed and subsequently exploded. 'Yikes,' she thinks. 'I hope Osaka and those guys are okay.' But she can't spare anymore thought to their well-being as the monster launches another projectile at her. She dodges again, this time prepared for the explosion as she doesn't even stumble. It's a little warm at her back, but nothing she hasn't experienced before.

"So I see you can dodge," the monster remarks, grabbing the racket with her other hand. "Take this!" Another flame appears, launching itself at her, but then almost instantly afterwards another is forming and launching. Usagi's eyes widen as she dodges the first, only to quickly dodge another and another and another. She can't stop moving if she doesn't want to get hit, and the monster's aim is scarily accurate.

Usagi is just starting to wonder which of them will tire first – and she has a sinking feeling it'll be her – when one of the explosions hits a little too close to her and she loses her balance, face-planting into the court with an undignified yelp. She pushes to her knees a moment later, but when she looks back to the monster another projectile is already heading for her. She barely has time to throw herself to the side, but even then it catches on her unprotected leg. Usagi has to swallow back a pained shout when flame bites at her flesh, exploding a second later. The smell of charred flesh permeates the air and Usagi has to swallow heavily, afraid to look at what's happened to her leg.

She isn't given much longer to worry about it, anyways. The monster doesn't stop its attack, and in the next moment Usagi feels a searing pain in her side before she goes flying back, hitting the chain-link fence with a clatter. She gasps in pain as she hits the ground, but she can't do more than that. Just trying to turn her head to watch the monster is a struggle but Usagi eventually manages it...

...right in time to see booted feet stop before her. Then a sharp-nailed hand is reaching down to grab her by her collar and she's dragged up to the monster's eye level. It sneers in her face. "Well, Sailor Moon, looks like this is it for you. I think your energy will do nicely for the Dark Kingdom." Then its hands start glowing, not with the red of its flames but instead a bright blue light, and then Usagi starts to feel her energy draining away. Slowly her struggles in the monster's grip cease as she loses the energy and will to fight, and darkness starts encroaching on her sight.

'Is this it?' she wonders. 'Will this new enemy be too much for the Guardians?'

Then she feels weightless for a moment as the monster lets out a squawk of rage, only to be enveloped by a soothing warmth moments later. She blinks hazily and sees black cloth in front of her gaze. 'I know this feeling,' she thinks as little by little the warmth starts to fill her and her energy returns to her. "Tuxedo Mask," she mutters.

"Sailor Moon, you need to pull yourself together," he tells her.

"Just…one more moment," she replies. "You're warm."

Tuxedo Mask pauses before haltingly continuing. "The monster is stunned for now, but it won't be much longer. You don't have any more time."

Usagi feels a gentle push at her back and distantly realizes Tuxedo Mask is trying to stand her up on her own. She winces when the weight hits her injured leg and shifts to stand more on her left, though the pain is barely lessened. Breathing also hurts, she comes to realize, and starts taking more shallow breaths. But it doesn't hurt nearly as much as Usagi would've expected it to, she's surprised to realize. She knows her healing factor is supernatural, especially when she's transformed, but to have regenerated this quickly…even she can tell it's abnormal.

Hesitantly, she glances back at Tuxedo Mask, a curious thought crossing her mind. 'Could it be because of him?' she wonders.

"Now, Sailor Moon, hurry!" he says when he notices her attention.

Caught, she turns back to the monster, who's starting to regenerate the fiery racket from before. Her side twinges at the sharp turn, but she ignores it to grab for her tiara. The movement comes naturally to her now and she doesn't hesitate to attack. "Moon Tiara Action!" Her tiara shoots across the court, easily breaking through the monster's fireball to hit it dead on.

For a moment Usagi is relieved this whole ordeal is over as she catches her tiara when it returns. That feeling is quickly shot down when she realizes the monster isn't dying, or disappearing, for that matter. If anything, it looks majorly weakened, but certainly not like it's about to keel over. "What?!" Usagi gasps, taking a hesitant step back. Her tiara has never failed her before now – at least, not when she's managed a direct hit – so why not this time.

Before she can start to panic too much, she feels Tuxedo Mask step up behind her and place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Warmth starts to fill her again, and the feeling is almost distracting enough that she misses what he says. "Again, Sailor Moon!"

She blinks and has to mentally shake herself back into the present. "Sure," she mutters. It's as good an idea as any. "Moon Tiara Action!" Thankfully the monster is weakened enough that it doesn't bother to attack again, let alone dodge, and she hits it squarely once more. She watches intently to see what will happen now, but to her relief the monster's form starts to dissipate back into the black wispy form it was before. "Thank fuck," she says, breathing a sigh of relief.

Until she hears a groan of pain behind her. Usagi turns, confused, to see Tuxedo Mask kneeling on the ground behind her, and a moment of panic flashes through her. "Tuxedo Mask?" she asks. 'Did he get hit? When?' she wonders as she moves over to him.

"It's nothing," he groans, though the way his form starts flashing makes Usagi think otherwise. Before she can approach him, though, she hears two other voices calling her name.

"Sailor Moon!"

She turns to find both Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury running towards her, clearly concerned. Usagi lets out a frustrated huff as she looks between her friends and Tuxedo Mask, only to do a quick double-take as she realizes Tuxedo Mask has vanished. "What?" she mutters, just moments before her fellow Guardians reach her.

"Sailor Moon, are you okay? Oh my god," Rei gasps, getting a good look at her injuries. Usagi tries to smile reassuringly, but it falls a little short when she comes to realize she can no longer hold herself up and starts to collapse to the ground. Only her friends' quick reflexes keep her from falling over, and instead she's gently lowered until she's lying on the rough court.

"This doesn't look good at all," Ami mutters, frowning over Usagi's body. Her goggles have been activated and Usagi can see diagrams and words flickering on the screen but she can't tell what any of it says. "You've got some serious third degree burns; this isn't something I can take care of with a first aid kit."

Usagi can see her reach a hand out towards her side, gently moving parts of her uniform aside to get a full glimpse of the wound. Surprisingly, the touch doesn't sting like she would have expected it to. In fact, it feels almost cooling. She says as much to her comrade.

Ami frowns down at Usagi, turning her hand over to look at it curiously. "Cooling, you say?" she muses. "I wonder…" she begins thoughtfully before trailing off. "This might sting a little," she warns.

Usagi doesn't have even a moment to wonder what that can mean before Ami is placing her hand fully on the wound at Usagi's side. She lets out a yelp as it does, in fact, sting, Rei doing the same from her other side, and yet Ami is undeterred, an intense look of concentration on her face. And then the sting starts to fade, and a look of wonder replaces her expression.

"Are you…?" Rei trails off before Usagi can say a thing, but Ami doesn't respond. Slowly but surely the pain in her side starts to fade away until there's not even an ache. Only then does Ami pull her hand away and look at the other girls. Usagi sits up without any help, marveling at the fact. When she looks down, there's only a slight discoloration on her skin to show where she was injured through the tear in her uniform.

"You healed me," she remarks. "I didn't know you could do that."

Ami nods, though she looks more tired than she'd been previously. "Neither did I until just now. But if you think about it, it's really not all that surprising given the mythology around Mercury."

"Honestly, I don't care what it is but I'm grateful for it," Usagi chuckles, suddenly relieved. Rei makes a noise of agreement as Ami moves to take care of the wound on her leg – which looks about as bad as Usagi had been expecting, so she quickly averts her gaze. It catches on Rui, who's still prone on the ground a few feet away from them. Usagi frowns in concern. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

Rei notices where she's looking and gets up to approach the other girl. She studies her for a moment and takes her pulse, before eventually nodding. "She just seems to be exhausted."

"If that was her energy I was reading earlier, I'm not surprised," Ami remarks as she heals. "She'll probably be fine after resting for a bit."

"Are we going to just leave her here, then?" Mars asks, walking back over to them.

Usagi shrugs as Ami finishes up with her leg, standing as well with the other girl's help. "We might as well. What else are we going to do with her?" she asks.

Rei nods. "I suppose you're right."

"We should head back to the temple, if you're feeling up for it," Mercury suggests, though her tone makes it sound like she isn't up for it. "I think we need to have a meeting about tonight."

Usagi nods and the trio starts to head out, though Usagi can't help but quip, "Sailor Mercury, suggesting a meeting? Should I be shocked? Isn't this going to cut into your study time?"

The blue-haired girl scowls lightly, though the quirked corner of her lips tells Usagi she's well aware of the irony of her suggestion. "Don't make me regret healing you," she lightly threatens, before quickly growing serious and pausing, bringing the trio to a stop just outside of the sports complex. "Normally I'd agree that this can wait for tomorrow, but I get the sense that what happened tonight was far from normal. I don't know when the enemy might strike again, but if it's tomorrow I want to be prepared."

"You mean energy stealing monsters isn't far enough from normal for you?" Usagi asks, trying to lighten the mood, but Ami's stern expression doesn't falter. She sighs. "I know, and I'm concerned."

"Let's get back, then. Perhaps Luna will have some insight for us," Rei suggests, and they soon take to the rooftops. Like this it only takes them a dozen minutes to make it across town to the Hikawa Shrine, and Usagi can already see Luna waiting for them at the gate. They land just before her.

The cat's expression furrows in concern as her gaze flits over Usagi, lingering on the tears in her clothes, before she solemnly nods. "Inside, girls." Then she turns to lead them to their usual meeting spot in Rei's room. Usagi nods and starts to follow, dropping her transformation as she does. Ami and Rei do the same behind her. They're oddly silent as they settle themselves around the table they'd been at not even 12 hours before. This time the atmosphere is far more serious. "What happened, Usagi-chan?" Luna asks. All three of their eyes are on her.

Usagi takes a deep breath to gather her thoughts before she starts to explain what happened this evening up until Sailor Mercury and Mars joined her. "I never saw what caused that thing to appear from Rui-senpai's racket, but I'd be willing to bet anything it had to do with that man from earlier today. The car I saw today was probably his. I don't have any verifiable proof," Usagi admits semi-reluctantly, "but we should still be wary."

"I'm not saying I doubt your abilities, Usagi, but I agree," Ami speaks up. "For now, we should treat this man as an unknown variable, and stay out of his way until we have proof one way or the other. That would be the safest option, I think."

"Understood," Rei intones solemnly.

"I'll keep a lookout for him, and try to track his movements," Ami continues.

"As will I," Luna adds. "Now that we know the enemy is active again we need to be more vigilant than ever. You're lucky, Usagi-chan," she says, looking at the blonde. "If Ami-chan hadn't discovered her power when she did you might've been left severely injured. You need to be more careful."

"I know," Usagi agrees, taking the chiding without complaint. "But I think these monsters are stronger than the ones Jadeite threw at us," she adds, not intending it to be an excuse. "It took my tiara two strikes to vanquish it."

Luna nods. "This is concerning," she admits, sounding worried. "I think it would be best if we refrain from engaging the enemy without backup from now on, even if it means waiting to attack. I don't want any of you girls to end up seriously injured again, even if Ami-chan can heal you now."

"Guess we'll have to take that training seriously now," Usagi remarks, shooting a teasing look at Ami.

The girl rolls her eyes in response. "Fine, I'll do it. But I'm not going to like it."

"Why am I not surprised?" Usagi grins.


	18. Ami's Date

_Tsukino Usagi_

Usagi blinks in surprise when Osaka sits herself down in the chair in front of her first thing the next morning. "His name is Sanjoin Masato and he's an entrepreneur. Apparently he goes and finds promising athletes and artists to support as a patron, and he approached Rui-niisan so she could play in bigger tournaments. Isn't that so nice of him?" she blurts out, her eyes bright with adoration.

"Um, yeah," Usagi replies.

"Oh, I'm so glad you understand," she continues, not at all bothered by Usagi's lack of enthusiasm. "Yumiko and Kuri think he's weird, but they just don't get how nice he is. It takes a very generous man to want to sponsor so many people."

"You seem very enthusiastic about this man," Usagi remarks, and is rewarded by her classmate flushing brightly before her.

Osaka's gaze shifts bashfully to the side. "Am I? I just can't get him out of my mind, after seeing him yesterday," she says. "Is that weird?"

Somehow Usagi gets the feeling that her response will be very important to Osaka, though she can't fathom why. She hesitates before responding. "I…I'm not sure. I don't think so?"

It must be the right response because Osaka brightens. "Thank you so much, Tsukino-san. You have no idea how reassuring it is to hear that. I thought I was going crazy," she says with a chuckle. "Sorry about unloading all that on you, I just had to talk to someone."

Usagi manages an awkward grin in response. "No problem."

"I'll see you later then," she says, standing to head back to her desk with a cheery wave at Usagi.

Usagi watches her go in stunned incredulity. 'Is this what having friends is like?' she wonders, blinking to get her thoughts back in order. 'Regardless, Osaka has given me some pretty useful information.' As she thinks she pulls out her communicator from her bag's pocket, opening her messages and creating a conversation with Ami.

**Sailor Moon 07:49  
Sanjoin Masato**

She receives a response moments later.

**Sailor Mercury 07:49  
What?**

**Sailor Moon 07:50  
tennis court guy**

**Sailor Mercury 07:50  
I'll see what I can find.**

Satisfied, she returns her phone to her bag and waits for Sakurada-sensei to arrive. Hopefully by the end of the day Ami will have come up with something.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ami is waiting at the gates when Usagi leaves school later that day and, figuring the other girl wants to talk about the man she mentioned earlier, she approaches. As soon as she's joined her Ami starts walking off, though it only takes Usagi a moment to realize they're heading towards the Hikawa Shrine. When they've put some distance between them and most of the other students heading home Ami finally speaks up. "I sent you the report on Sanjoin," she begins abruptly. "You can read all the details, but for the most part there's nothing particularly outstanding about the guy. He moved to the area recently and he's got a decent sum of money, apparently. But otherwise nothing of note."

"Did you dig into his background?" Usagi asks as she swipes through her phone, looking for the report Ami mentioned. It's situated at the top of her inbox, succinctly titled 'Sanjoin Masato Report.' Usagi flags it to be read later.

"There wasn't much to dig into," Ami sounds reluctant to admit. "It was as minimal as it could be."

Usagi shoots the other girl a sly glance from the corner of her eyes. "Minimal enough to be obviously fake?"

Mizuno matches it with a look of her own. "Minimal enough that we still can't rule out that he's just some innocent passerby that happened to be in a suspicious place at the wrong time."

Usagi pouts and grumbles halfheartedly but doesn't bother trying to convince her any further. She knows the genius well-enough to know that nothing but undeniable proof won't convince her otherwise. With nothing else to talk about, she glances around the walking center for something of interest. Ami isn't really prone to small talk, she's found. But then her gaze catches on someone walking towards them and Usagi can't help the grimace that twists at her expression.

Ami notices and shoots her companion a curious look. "What?" Usagi opens her mouth to reply, but Ami is speaking again a moment later. "Wait, I've decided I don't care."

"Ass," Usagi hisses at her companion – friend might still be a bit of a stretch, even if they are on a first-name basis now – shooting a glare at the other girl. She almost misses the man walking by her, and she would have if he hadn't turned around to speak to her.

"Well, would you look at that?" a familiar voice says, and Usagi immediately frowns hearing it. "Guess we can walk without running into each other. I'll be expecting a similar performance the next time we meet, so don't disappoint me bun-head."

"Hey!" Usagi snaps, spinning around to glare at the boy. "Was the comment really necessary? Because I was having a nice day."

"Not 10 seconds ago you were insulting me," Ami remarks, her tone amused as she joins the conversation. "Oh, Chiba-kun, how nice to see you again."

"Mizuno-san."

Usagi pauses and looks incredulously between the two. "Wait, you know this jerk, Ami?" she says with a rough gesture in the boy's – Chiba, apparently – direction.

The genius shrugs. "Luna and I ran into him last night," she replies dismissively, though Usagi nearly busts a nerve imagining Luna interacting with that guy. But then Ami shoots a calculating glance at Usagi, a suspicious glint in her eye and Usagi immediately knows she isn't going to like what she says next. "Was this the guy you were telling me about?"

Usagi's eyes widen as she gapes at her comrade, indignant betrayal flooding her. She tries to sputter out a denial, but it's overshadowed by Chiba's chuckle. "Were you talking about me, bun-head?" he asks, giving her a considering look.

She can't help the flush that covers her face. "It's Tsukino Usagi! And no, I was definitely not, because you said you didn't care!" she practically shouts, pointing a finger accusingly at Ami.

"Did I?" the genius asks innocently. Usagi shoots a glare at the genius but Ami is unaffected. "You should have mentioned he was cute, then I might've paid more attention," she teases, her gaze narrowing as she sweeps a look at Chiba.

"Wh-What?! No! He's not cute!" Usagi blurts out quickly, flushing again. If she's honest, Chiba isn't that bad on the eyes – not that she'll ever admit it out loud – but he's been an annoying jerk and she's far too stubborn to forgive his teasing. Yet. Maybe if he made it up to her. Not that she wants him to, of course.

Ami, oblivious to her internal dilemma, smiles brightly in that devious way of hers. "Great! Then you won't mind if I steal him." She sidles up to Chiba under Usagi's stunned gaze, hooking an arm around one of his as she looks up at him. "Want to go to a café? I'm in the mood for some pastries, how about you? My treat," she asks, her tone dropping to a more…seductive level.

Chiba spares a single glance to Usagi before looking down at Ami. "Uh, sure, why not?" he replies haltingly.

Usagi has to mentally kick herself in order to verbally protest, "Hey, wait!" she calls to Mizuno, who's already started leading Chiba away. "We were headed somewhere," she reminds the girl.

Ami waves a dismissive hand in the air without ever looking back. "Just tell them I'm busy. Homework and studying, blah blah, you know."

"Hey," Usagi tries to protest one last time, but they're already down the block by then, leaving Usagi by herself. "Dammit, Mizuno," she grumbles, pissed. "Like hell I'm gonna lie to Luna and Rei. You can take the lecture." She makes a move to continue to Rei's place, only to pause a moment later.

'Ami was definitely flirting with that guy,' she thinks to herself, and for some reason it turns her gut. 'She's making a mistake, I just know it. There's something about him…I can't just let her do this by herself. What if she gets into trouble? I need to follow them.' Nodding assuredly to herself, Usagi turns on her heel and starts off in the direction Ami and Chiba had went, pulling out her communicator as she does. Opening up the device, she navigates to the map application and zooms out on her location. Ami's little Mercury symbol is steadily moving a couple blocks ahead of her own moon. Usagi grins as she briefly pockets the item whilst pulling out another – her Disguise Pen.

.

_Mizuno Ami_

Ami figured there was a 90% chance Tsukino was going to follow them and grinned to herself, momentarily forgetting the body she was dragging with her. Chiba was quiet as he let her lead them, which made it easy for her to get lost in her head.

If Usagi was following them she would likely be watching, so obviously Ami had to give her a good show. Messing with the other girl was highly amusing, and for some reason this boy incited the most interesting reaction from her. She would drag the reason why out of him during their "date."

She ducked into the first cutesy little café shop she noticed and picked a table within easy view of the large front windows. She spared a single glance outside but couldn't spot a head of blonde hair; Tsukino must not have caught up yet. Finally she turned her attention to the man across from her.

'Mamoru Chiba,' she thinks. 'He really isn't that bad looking. Could be my type, if he weren't a 2nd year high school student,' she muses, her gaze slowly traveling over his figure. He seems to be doing the same at the moment, anyways.

"So," he begins hesitantly, "why exactly am I here?" She raises an eyebrow in response. "Somehow I get the feeling you're not actually interested in me," he elaborates a moment later.

Ami grins. "Caught that, did you?" she replies with a question of her own, then shrugs. "No, not really. But I am interested in fucking with Tsukino; you're just my excuse to do so."

"Ah, I get it now," he says, leaning back with a grin of his own. "She does have the most interesting reactions."

"How exactly do you two know each other?" Ami asks, propping her head up on her hands, elbows resting on the table.

Chiba shrugs. "We've run into each other a couple of times. Literally."

Ami quirks an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"Yeah. We meet, I tease her for something, she snaps back and storms off usually."

Her brows furrow as she thinks. 'There was probably minimal flirting, if any. That doesn't explain why Tsukino seems so interested. Is she really interested? She did get flustered when I teased her for talking about him. There must be some attraction there, at least on her part. A reluctant crush? Or maybe it never occurred to her until now? Either way, there's something on her end that I can still mess with.'

"So," Ami begins, smiling again to increase the likelihood of Chiba agreeing with her, "how would you feel about pretending to go on a fake date to mess with her?"

Chiba pauses, giving her a calculating look. "Why are you so sure she'd get riled up by something like this? I highly doubt she cares?"

Ami scans the shop again, but there's still no sign of blonde pigtails anywhere. Discretely she pulls out her communicator, opening up the map. She immediately notices the moon symbol not too far from hers, though the map is too zoomed out to accurately determine where exactly she is. But before she can even select it the icon vanishes from the map and her gaze narrows in annoyance. She pockets the device and looks back at her companion, who's patiently waiting for an answer. She smiles again to hide her annoyance. "I think she cares more than you think she does," is what she says.

Chiba spares a moment to glance around dubiously, clearly looking for Tsukino but not seeing her. Ami does the same; she knows Usagi is around, just not exactly where. There are six other patrons in the café with them. Two are clearly on a date, three appear to be college students studying, and there's one girl sitting in the back drinking by herself with a book open on the table before her. She would almost be suspect, if she weren't a brunette in the T.A. Academy uniform.

'But…' Ami starts to reconsider as a thought occurs to her, 'if Tsukino could disguise herself…' Almost immediately she discards the idea. 'Though possible, it's highly unlikely she's managed to dye her hair and obtain a new uniform since we left her. She's probably just peeking from somewhere nearby.'

"I don't think so," Chiba says, doubt clouding his tone.

Ami shakes her head dismissively. "Trust me, she is. Now, what flavor milkshake do you want to share?" she asks, no longer giving him the option to decline.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

Usagi heaves a sigh of relief as Ami pockets her phone without making a fuss or glancing over in her direction. She'd totally forgotten that the other girl could just as easily figure out her location as she could and had to quickly shut off her phone to prevent the genius from realizing she was in the shop with them. So far, her disguise seemed to be working. Ami had barely given her a passing glance the last time she'd looked around, and Usagi could barely restrain her gleeful grin at getting one over the genius.

She took another sip of her cream soda and idly flipped a page in the English workbook she definitely wasn't reading. So far the couple hadn't done anything but talk, and Usagi wished she could hear what they were saying. She's pretty sure she saw her name one or twice from Mizuno, so she knew they were talking about her and it made her skin crawl imagining what they could be saying about her.

When a large chocolate milkshake is brought out to the table Usagi nearly loses her cool choking on her spit. She has to quickly duck down when Ami glances over in her direction and pray the other girl hasn't noticed anything odd. She doesn't glance over at them after that, too nervous about catching Ami's attention to try and look – not to mention, she doesn't want to see them sharing the milkshake; that'd be gross – until she hears them stand. Even then she only briefly glances over to check that it's them before looking back down. She'll give them a couple of minutes maybe before following; wouldn't want Mizuno to see her leave, but she can't wait too long or she'll lose them now that her communicator is off.

As soon as she leaves the shop she ducks into the nearest alleyway and changes her disguise again, just to be on the safe side. She wouldn't put it past Ami to be watching still. She trails them all the way to some large park nearby, but when they get in one of those romantic boats Usagi has to settle for watching from the lake's edge. "Damn Mizuno," Usagi grumbles, leaning dejectedly on the railing. "She knows I'm following them. She's totally messing with me now." 'Or she's actually interested in the guy,' her mind traitorously supplies, causing something in her gut to twist. There's just something she finds…wrong about Ami with Chiba, though she can't put her finger on what exactly it is.

Before she can really contemplate her gut feeling a massive flock of birds flies overhead, along with a swarm of squirrels and small critters. Usagi yelps as they rush by her, jumping up onto the railing to avoid touching them. On the lake, the birds fly so close to the water it creates waves that rock the boat Ami and Chiba are on, knocking them over, but Usagi can't spare any concern for them. A man is approaching and Usagi can feel the dark aura surrounding him, his energy spiking to levels even she can recognize.

"Not good," she mutters, hopping down from the railing to quickly run into the trees. The animals don't follow, but she can sense the energy heading her way. At the very least, hopefully the guy will leave Ami and Chiba alone. As soon as she reaches a decent-sized clearing she pulls out her brooch and shouts, "Moon Prism Power Make Up!" A second later the monster steps out.

.

_Mizuno Ami_

They're sitting quietly in the boat when all of a sudden Chiba doubles over with a grunt of pain. Ami's eyes widen and she immediately starts trying to catalogue symptoms, but there's nothing externally she can see and nothing that could possibly have triggered an attack so she has no idea what to do. "Chiba-kun?" she asks, confused and a little concerned at the same time. "What is it?"

Suddenly a large group of birds is flying above their heads, so close that Ami ducks down to avoid being hit. Chiba does too, and their combined movement is enough to rock the boat. When they both try to correct their movements they end up throwing each other off and flipping them both into the water. Submerged, Ami pauses a moment to clear her head of the brief panic before starting to swim for where she remembered the dock to be. She can feel Chiba's movements in the water beside her as he does the same.

Ami splutters when she reaches for the dock, struggling for a second to haul herself up until Chiba grips the back of her shirt and lifts her the rest of the way. She mutters an absentminded thanks as she picks herself up and rushes over to her things. She has an inkling she knows what happened but wants to confirm just to be sure. Hiding her bag with her body so Chiba won't see the computer – not that he's paying attention, still lying over by the edge of the dock – she quickly scans the area. It takes milliseconds to pick up the elevated energy signature a mere dozen meters away, and she knows she has to go. "I'll be back!" she shouts to Chiba, just so he doesn't try to follow her, before heading off to where she saw the energy coming from.

She tears through the trees until she comes upon the clearing, stopping just before the tree line. Sailor Moon is already there facing off against the monster, and for a second she smirks knowing Usagi was definitely following them to have arrived so quickly, but then shakes it off to focus. Usagi will need her help, if her report from the last monster is anything to go by.

"Mercury Bubble Spray!" she shouts, filling the area with a thick cloud of fog. Then she activates her goggles to help find her way over to Sailor Moon. She taps the girl on the shoulder, startling her, before whispering, "I knew you were following us."

"Shut up," the other girl hisses. "Do you have any idea what to do?"

"Your tiara?" Ami suggests. "I have no offensive attacks, so it's either that or wait for Sailor Mars to arrive."

"Where is she?" Usagi asks, grabbing for her tiara as the mist starts to thin. Ami scans the area and gestures when she spots the monster. Its outline is vaguely visible, just enough that Usagi should be able to get a decent shot in.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

Ami watches closely as the tiara hits the monster, taking special care to record its energy levels before and after. They're outclassed – and it's clearly obvious when the monster doesn't immediately disintegrate like it should – but Ami wants to know exactly how outclassed they are.

"I've found you!" it snarls through the pain of being hit by the attack. Before either of them can react rope vines are reaching out to trap them. Ami grunts as they hit her and then start to squeeze, forcing her arms painfully tight against her side. In another couple of seconds it starts getting very hard to breathe.

"Sailor Mercury?" Usagi gasps, just as trapped as she is.

Ami twitches her fingers in response, but save for creating another Bubble Spray she's got nothing. How many times does she have to tell them she has no offensive attacks? It's times like this that she really hates that aspect of her abilities. Really, there's only one option for them right now? 'Sailor Mars!' she mentally shouts, trying to reach the other girl. Hopefully Luna picked up on the energy spike on whatever it is she uses to monitor things and has already told the miko, though Ami won't hold her breath – the vines do that for her enough as is.

"Ugh, this…sucks!" Usagi snaps beside her, her expression twisted in anger as she struggles in the bonds. Then she stills, and Ami watches to see what the other girl will do. She barely blinks before Usagi is throwing herself backwards as far as she can, jerking the monster forward a step or two to compensate. But she doesn't accomplish much more than that, and now she's stuck on the ground.

Either way the monster isn't happy, and with a howl she summons small critters to crawl and bite at Tsukino. Ami grimaces and tries calling Rei again because like hell is she going to try that as well. 'Sailor Mars!'

"You called? Mars Fire Soul!" The flame burns through the area and the vines holding the two, snapping them easily. Ami immediately starts shifting to loosen them enough so they fall to her feet before running over to help Usagi pull them off herself.

"New plan?" she asks as she sits up, breathing quickly to catch her breath.

"Working on it," Ami mutters in annoyance. The three of them stand together against the monster, who watches them warily. 'The usual, I suppose,' she mentally tells the other two. After receive subtle nods of confirmation, Ami quickly acts. "Mercury Bubble Spray!" As soon as she does Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars jump to the side, Ami doing the same to avoid the new rope vines the monster launches at them.

She doesn't see their movements but she can hear when Rei tags the monster with a talisman, shouting, "Evil spirit, be exorcised!" Usagi attacks a moment later.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

This time after the monster takes a direct attack it doesn't keep moving, instead starting to disintegrate where it stands. Ami heaves a subtle breath of relief now that it's over. "That sucked! I've got tiny bites all over me from those stupid animals," Usagi complains, her figure visible now that the mist has cleared again.

Ami vanishes her goggles and gives the girl a once over. Indeed there are several tiny red marks all over her skin, though if she looks close enough Ami can spot some of them already starting to heal. No need to use her healing power then. She drops the transformation. "I have to head back to Chiba-kun; he's probably wondering where I went," she says as she turns to leave.

Rei looks vaguely surprised to hear this as she does the same, but Usagi turns exceptionally red – not the reaction Ami was expecting, but amusing all the same. "Hey, wait!" she hears the other girl call as she starts to follow her back to the lake. "Why are you going out with that guy? He's suspicious!" she proclaims.

Ami shrugs nonchalantly. "He's cute, and pretty smart, too. Why not?" she teases the girl, glancing over at Usagi to see her reaction to her words. She's still a little flushed, though she does look vaguely uncomfortable as well – 'what could that mean,' Ami wonders – though behind her Rei just looks amused. Ami isn't surprised she's sticking around, what with the fuss Tsukino is making.

"I mean," Ami continues, "don't you ever wonder what's beneath –"

"Mizuno-san, there you are!" a voice calls out, interrupting her words – but judging by how both Usagi and Rei have turned bright red they know exactly what she was going to say – as Chiba jogs up to the trio. "I was concerned when you were gone for a while. Are you okay?" His brows are furrowed and his gaze has dropped somewhere down her middle. Ami looks down and realizes there's still some bruising left around her arms. She hides them behind her back and flashes a bright smile at the boy in the hopes of distracting him.

"Yes, I'm alright," she replies. "Just took a little tumble in the forest, but I'll be fine." She doesn't miss the way his gaze narrows, glancing between her and Usagi – who has similar marks on her own arms that haven't fully vanished either – but to her relief he doesn't say anything. "Well, I had a wonderful time, Mamoru-kun," she says sweetly, just to irk Usagi – the girl twitches when she uses his given name, interesting. "We should do this again sometime," she continues.

He flicks another glance between her and Usagi. "Hmm, yeah, if I see you around," he half-heartedly agrees. Ami knows he spoke deliberately, and though it amuses her – he does like teasing Usagi, does he not? So why wouldn't he be interested in playing with her any more – she isn't going to push for more than he's willing to give.

She shrugs in acceptance. "Alright. Don't be a stranger then," she says, and with a wave turns and starts to head out of the park. She knows Usagi is gaping at the two of them, but it doesn't take the girl long to gather her senses and start following Ami, Rei not far behind her. She catches up a moment later.

"What was that –" she begins, but Ami talks over her.

"I've taken some data readings from the fight that I'll analyze later this evening, so I should have a solid report by tomorrow afternoon. We can meet at Rei's place to discuss it," she says. "I'll see you two then." When she turns to start heading back to her apartment, neither of the two girls follow.


	19. The Monster Camera

_Tsukino Usagi_

Ami comes to collect Usagi from her class as soon as the day is over. Usagi doesn't complain about the loss of her afternoon – Ami wouldn't care. In fact, the other girl is entirely silent the whole trip to Rei's family's temple. It looks to Usagi like the genius is thinking hard about something, though that could be anything from schoolwork to the latest monster they faced.

When they're all settled around the table in Rei's room they look expectantly to Ami to begin the meeting. She is the one who had called it in the first place. "So?" Luna eventually prompts to get things going.

Ami blinks, almost like she's having to refocus on them, before she reaches for her bag to pull out a couple of papers. Usagi catches a glimpse of the top one and it's full of graphs and diagrams that she can barely understand. "I can email you all a copy of these later, but the short of it is, we're outclassed," Ami says, her tone blunt. "The monsters that have been showing up are stronger, and I have a theory as to why. Whoever is controlling these monsters seems to be targeting specific people instead of large groups, like Jadeite had, and they coincide with moments when these peoples' energy is at a peak. I haven't determined whether these peaks are natural or induced, but the greater energy is what makes the monsters so much stronger."

"Is there anything we can do about that?" Usagi asks, her brow furrowed. They'd already suspected that they were no match for the new monsters, but to have it confirmed is displeasing to say the least.

Ami shrugs. "Nothing definitively, I think. The best we can do is monitor for spikes of energy, and then watch the people to see if they transform. As of yet we have no idea who's controlling them, and we have no idea whether they're active in this whole process once they've chosen a target, or they just let things run as they will. If that's the case, then watching and waiting is our only chance. If the person in charge is watching his targets, then we might be able to trick them into releasing the monsters before their full potential by scaring them with our presence, but that's a slim possibility."

"We'll have to play it by ear then," Luna says decisively.

"If you want," Ami agrees amicably. "I also feel it would be important to note that this person seems to be moving a lot quicker than Jadeite was. Before there were sometimes several days between his attempts at gathering energy, however the previous attacks were only a day apart. I have a feeling this is the beginning of a pattern, so we should be on alert tonight and tomorrow especially."

"You'll keep an eye on things, won't you," Usagi says.

"Of course," Ami snorts, sounding a little offended. "I've got a program constantly scanning for abnormalities outside of a certain range. If anything changes I'll know."

"Good. Then we'll be ready when that time comes," she nods. "Until then, I guess this is a waiting game."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The meeting was finished up not long after that, the girls returning to their respective houses – or in Rei's case, leaving to do her chores. Hours later, while Usagi is sloooowly attempting to do her homework under Luna's watchful eye, her communicator pings and Usagi jumps on it like a man thirsty for water. Luna frowns disapprovingly but plods across her table anyways to read over her shoulder.

**Sailor Mercury 20:40  
Energy spike detected. Keep an eye out tomorrow.**

"That was quick," Luna remarks, and Usagi frowns when she hears the concern in the cat's voice. "It's just like Ami-chan said. Keep both your communicator and transformation brooch ready, Usagi-chan. We have to be even more cautious now."

That distressing thought sticks with Usagi for the rest of the evening, plaguing her even in her dreams. Twice that night she wakes up sweating and breathing heavily, phantom burns stinging at her side and leg even though they're fully healed, courtesy of Sailor Mercury. Luna seems undisturbed by the unknown enemy hanging over their heads, and Usagi enviously watches the cat deeply asleep when she couldn't calm her thoughts enough to rest.

It leaves her irritable the next morning, and instead of leaving early to scout about the town like Luna suggests Usagi turns her headphones up to blasting and walks to school in a disgruntled cloud. Neither Umino nor even Osaka-san even dare approach her in homeroom once they see the stormy expression on her face.

A brief nap during lunch helps alleviate her mood somewhat, but it drops again once she notices the messages her comrades had shared while she was asleep.

**Sailor Mars 12:13  
Mercury do you have a general location on the energy?**

**Sailor Mercury 12:14  
Not yet. Too weak. Why?**

**Sailor Mars 12:14  
I'm getting an odd feeling from a student at our sister school**

**Sailor Mars 12:14  
Might be the target**

**Sailor Mercury 12:15  
Can't tell for sure yet. I'll keep monitoring the area. You and Moon should check it out this afternoon.**

**Sailor Mars 12:16  
Ok**

Usagi groans and lets her head thump onto her desk. She shouldn't be surprised, especially after Ami's warning last night, and she'd been fully prepared yesterday afternoon to hunt this newest nuisance. Now, though, after a restless night with minimal sleep all she wants to do is pass out in her bed for a couple of hours. For a moment she entertains the thought of asking Ami to trade jobs, but she discards the thought just as quick. Even if Mizuno consented to relinquish her precious minicomputer – which she wouldn't, not in a million years – Usagi wouldn't have any idea of what to look for. With a resigned sigh she types out her late response.

**Sailor Moon 12:58  
fine**

The communicator pings a moment later and Usagi narrows her eyes in annoyance at Ami's response.

**Sailor Mercury 12:59  
It's about time you joined the conversation. Sleeping through lunch again?**

**Sailor Moon 12:59  
shut up**

She shoves the damn thing in her bag after that, resolving to ignore anymore notifications for the rest of the afternoon.

After the final bell rings Usagi heads over to the T.A. Girls' Academy, where Rei attends school. Usagi thinks it's hilarious that a Shinto shrine maiden goes to school at a catholic academy, but when she pointed it out to Rei the quiet girl just shrugged, saying it was her father's stipulation for living with her grandfather that she go there. Usagi didn't question any further than that; she could tell there was something up with Rei's parents, but she wasn't about to pry into something as personal as that.

Fortunately for Usagi Rei is waiting for her outside of the school gates so she wouldn't have to enter and look for the other girl. "Hey," she quietly greets her fellow Guardian.

"Hello," Rei replies, inclining her head in a polite nod. Then her gaze cuts to the side in the direction of a large group of what looks like reporters, all of them standing around a male student. Usagi raises a brow in silent question. "That's the boy I sensed something from earlier today."

Usagi nods, turning to stand in front of Rei so she can look at both her and the boy from her peripheral. He doesn't look special to her; maybe a little odd because of the dyed streak of color in his hair, but apart from that she can't discern anything abnormal about him. She pulls out her communicator to send a message to Ami.

**Sailor Moon 15:21  
Got a visual on Rei's guy. See anything odd around us?**

**Sailor Mercury 15:23  
No. Standby just in case.**

With a sigh Usagi pockets her phone. At Rei's curious look, she briefly recounts Ami's response. "She wants us to stick around to watch. Is there anything we can do around here?" she asks the other girl, quickly glancing around their surroundings. The Academy takes up almost the entire block in front of her, and behind her are a couple of shops. One of them might be a café, she thinks, dreaming wistfully of a fluffy chocolate cake. Perhaps the sugar will perk her up.

But before she can suggest setting up a post in one of the shops a commotion from the group of reporters draws both of their attention. The boy they'd been interviewing suddenly seems to get nervous, darting quickly from the huddle to run off down the sidewalk. Usagi shares a concerned look with Rei, both seeming unsure of what to do next. "Should we go after him?" Rei hesitantly suggests.

Usagi contemplates it for a second. 'Ami had said to standby…' she thinks, grimacing as she realizes they're going to have to follow him. "Yeah. Come on, we can transform in the alley. It'll be easier." With a nod Rei follows her across the street. A moment later the flashing light of their transformations goes unnoticed and they both leap up onto the rooftops, following the runaway student from their vantage point.

They trail him across town to a moderately sized house in the suburbs, barely out of breath despite the distance crossed. With nothing better to do, the two Guardians settle on the roof across the street to watch. They can't see the boy in the house, but according to Rei he's inside in one of the upper rooms. "How long should we stick around?" Sailor Mars asks, settling down on the roof beside Usagi.

"No clue," she replies with a shrug. "Just long enough to see if he goes anywhere?" she suggests. "I doubt he'll attack anyone while still at home, if the whole point is to gather energy. Though," Usagi pauses, thinking, "I don't think the targets have been attacking people with the intent to steal their energy. It all seems to be coming from the target itself. So I guess it really doesn't matter where he is," Usagi muses, thinking aloud. "We should stick around anyways to see if anything changes, at least for a while." 'Because I'm dead-ass tired and I want to go home,' Usagi mentally adds.

"Okay," Rei easily agrees, settling more comfortably down on the rooftop to wait. Usagi does the same, sitting cross-legged beside the other teen.

Barely 10 minutes passes before Usagi realizes this is going to get very boring _very _quickly. Absolutely nothing has happened since they've arrived, and Usagi can't imagine anything will. Barely anyone has walked by – which she supposes is a good thing, given they're just sitting on this roof out in the open. That would be awkward to explain. 'Is Sailor Moon even supposed to be a secret?' Usagi muses. Sailor V is a thing; hell, she's got video games and an anime being planned. 'That would be cool, to have my own anime,' she thinks. 'Though who knows, they might try to make it into some cliché magical girl anime where all the characters are super happy and defeat monsters with the power of friendship and love or some bullshit like that. That would be lame.'

"What are you thinking about, Usagi-chan? I-I mean, Sailor Moon," Rei asks, startling Usagi from her thoughts.

"Um, just – nothing, it's stupid," she replies. "What do you know of this kid?" she asks instead to distract her companion.

Rei looks thoughtful for a moment. "Not much, to be honest. We attend different schools, since the T.A. Academy is an all girls' school. But I know his name is Shinokawa Ki-something; I forgot. He recently won an award from some photography contest. All the girls in class were talking about it today."

Usagi's eyes narrow as a thought occurs to her. "I wonder if this new enemy is choosing targets who are famous, or not famous per se, but experts or professionals in their field," she muses aloud for Rei's benefit. "Rui-senpai was a tennis champion gearing up for some big-name tournament, and now this kid who's just won a photography contest? Could be a pattern. Though the guy from the park isn't someone I'd consider famous, so maybe not," she frowns.

"We could always ask Sailor Mercury later," Rei suggests, shrugging her shoulders.

"Maybe," Usagi agrees, grinning wryly. "Though she might say there's too little data to draw an accurate conjecture or something like that." Rei cracks a smile as well and they enjoy teasing their comrade for a moment before the feeling fades and they're back to staring silently at Shinokawa's house.

Usagi pulls out her communicator, noting the time displayed on the device. It's almost 15 minutes to 16:00, and Usagi can't imagine staying here that much longer. "Wanna call it at 4?" she asks Rei.

"Sure," the other girl replies with a shrug.

Usagi nods. '15 minutes,' she tells herself. 'I can make it 15 more minutes before we can leave and I can finally take a nap.' For the rest of their time she keeps that thought in her head, using it to keep motivated. People watching is exceptionally boring, especially when there are so few people walking by. Rei seems perfectly fine sitting there in silence and Usagi is loath to bother the other girl when she seems so content. Her communicator can't even serve as a distraction because there's nothing particularly interesting on it, unless she wants to track where Mizuno currently is – her apartment, Usagi assumes. That area is a residential district as far as she knows.

Five minutes to their self-decided deadline she texts the other girl just to make sure nothing they can't sense is happening, and so she can say she wasn't slacking off on her duties if either she or Luna complains about her leaving early.

**Sailor Moon 15:55  
Mercury anything?**

The few minutes it takes the genius to respond only serve to tell Usagi that she isn't fully focused on whatever may be going on with Shinokawa, since she'd have responded nearly instantly if she were using her supercomputer. With that in mind Usagi feels wholly justified in leaving her watch.

**Sailor Mercury 15:58  
No.**

**Sailor Moon 15:59  
Then we're gonna call it. Let us know if anything changes.**

She puts away her communicator and stands, drawing Rei's attention. The other girl has her communicator out as well, likely following their conversation. Usagi feels the buzz of a notification but she doesn't pull it back out. Nothing Ami says will convince her to stay here when she really should be resting. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sailor Mars, assuming nothing happens tonight," she says before parting. Rei merely nods, waving goodbye as Usagi starts leaping across the rooftops towards her own home.

She has to stop in the alleyway beside her house in order to drop her transformation, and Usagi resolves to start leaving her window cracked from now on so she can head straight there instead of having to deal with this. She can only hope her parents aren't home and Miharu-san doesn't try to talk to her because she's already irritable and the older lady really doesn't deserve her ire. Luckily no one seems to be home, so Usagi makes her way upstairs unimpeded and collapses with a deep sigh on her comfortable bed. Luna isn't even home to scold her for abandoning her duty, not that she'd pay the cat much attention. Without another thought she falls asleep.

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A text from Mizuno comes during lunch the next day, and Usagi can't say she's surprised by its contents.

**Sailor Mercury 12:03  
Meeting after school at Hikawa Shrine**

Usagi is willing to bet it'll have something to do with her abruptly leaving Shinokawa last afternoon. The texts Usagi had ignored the day before had not been pleased that she was leaving him alone, so Usagi didn't doubt that was going to come up at some point today. Whether that warranted a whole meeting, though, she wasn't sure about. Still, it only made her a little nervous since she couldn't tell just how pissed Ami was, so for the whole duration of lunch she stayed in her seat and hoped the genius girl wouldn't try to look for her.

Ami finds her after school instead, no doubt so they can walk to the shrine together. The other girl doesn't look angry at seeing Usagi, but that could mean anything. Ami isn't very expressive on the best of days, so for all Usagi knows she's stewing internally with anger. But she doesn't say a word. Neither does Usagi, for that matter, so the 12 minute walk is spent entirely silent.

Rei is already waiting with Luna in her room when they arrive, so the pair takes a seat at the table to get started immediately. She's laid snacks and some tea out for them to enjoy, which Usagi eagerly digs into. She isn't sure who makes the buns or if they're store bough, but they're delicious.

"You have something to tell us, Ami-chan?" Luna asks, beginning the meeting.

"Among other things, yes, but first," she starts, turning a steely blue gaze on Usagi.

Recognizing the intent in the other girl's eyes, Usagi sets down the bun in her hands and straightens her posture, meeting her gaze straight on. She can try to criticize her all she wants, but Usagi will defend her decision. Mizuno may be the genius here, but Usagi is technically the leader, being the first and most experienced of them.

"Why did you abandon the target yesterday? Something could've triggered his transformation and who knows what kind of damage he'd have done in the time it took us to get to him. It was irresponsible of you to leave him alone and unwatched," she scolds.

Usagi's lips thin in her displeasure, her eyes narrowing in return. "I made an executive decision to leave Shinokawa alone. Sailor Mars and I observed him for close to an hour with no discernable change to his person or the energy levels he was outputting. You confirmed that yourself," she points out, feeling smug when Ami's eyes narrow at her. "I didn't think there was anything that would possibly trigger his transformation, cooped up in his house as he was, so I thought it would be a waste of our time to keep watch on him, especially with you and Luna monitoring things from afar. He was never unwatched, technically.

And nothing happened last night, so there's really no need for you to jump on my case. I was right, after all," she finishes, smothering the smirk that threatens to show on her face.

"Your decision was based on a gut feeling, not data, and there was a chance that it could've been wrong. The target could have found a trigger in his house – we have no idea what the triggers even are, for that matter – so you had no real evidence to back up your decision," Ami argues.

"That's not entirely true," Usagi retorts. "I asked you for evidence, did I not? Besides, this wasn't something I randomly decided on; I did think it through. We may not all be geniuses here, but I'm not an idiot either. I've been fighting far longer than you to, so I'm well aware of the risks. I wouldn't have left him if I didn't think it wasn't worth it. It may have been the more logical decision, but it was not the most reasonable or feasible one."

Ami opens her mouth like she wants to retort again, but Luna pipes up before she can speak. "I don't think there was anything wrong with what Usagi-chan did, if she really did think it through like she said. We can say what we think needs to be done while staring at our computer screens, but Usagi-chan was the leader out in the field and she made a judgement call based on what was happening and the information she had. End of discussion," Luna says, a note of finality in her voice. She looks at Usagi while she speaks and the teen swears there's pride in her gaze. It makes her feel a little happy knowing she's done something Luna approves of. Mizuno doesn't look happy at all, but if the slight nod she gives is any indication then she's going to listen to Luna and leave it be. "Now, you mentioned you had other things to tell us?" Luna continues expectantly.

"Around noon today one of the broadcast stations announced a modeling contest, the sole photographer being none other than Shinokawa Kijin. It's meant for women between the ages of 14-30, and it'll be held this Sunday afternoon. Since we suspect Shinokawa to be the next target, I've taken the liberty of signing the three of us up, just to increase our odds of being chosen. I don't expect him to be too picky if his objective is to gather energy, and the more of us are there the better," Ami says.

"A modeling contest?" Usagi exclaims, half-surprised and half-annoyed. She's never had an interest in modeling – and never will, for that matter – and she's annoyed that Mizuno never bothered to consult them on this before signing them up. Not that she probably would've turned her down anyways, because she is right about them being present for that. She'd have suspected the same thing.

"I don't know about that, Ami-san," Rei chimes in for the first time, looking exceedingly nervous. "I don't – putting myself out there, I don't think I can do that. Especially if it's modeling."

Ami shrugs, unconcerned with their feelings on the matter. "It's a ruse anyways. We probably won't actually have to do any modeling. This is just the easiest way for us to get into the building, and then we can monitor the situation in case things go bad. I suspect this event will probably lead to triggering his transformation into the monster, so it's best if we're as close as possible."

"Assuming we get selected," Usagi grumbles. She can't argue with Ami's logic, but that doesn't mean she has to like it.

"I just explained that it's highly likely we will, so don't make any plans for Saturday. The results will be out tomorrow afternoon, I expect."

Usagi makes another discontented noise but she doesn't argue anymore. "Anything else we should be aware of? Have you signed us all up for Pilates as well?"

Ami makes a face at Usagi for her remarks. "No," she answers coolly. "That's all I have, and unless anyone else has something to add then I think I'll be leaving."

"Um," Rei speaks up, shooting a glance at Usagi as she does. "Usagi-san had an idea, about the targets."

All three gazes focus on Usagi as she blinks, trying to recall what Rei is talking about. Then she recalls their conversation on the rooftop and suddenly remembers. She huffs in amusement. Usagi hadn't expected her to take her tired rambling seriously, but she supposes she might as well mention it. "Both Rui-senpai and now Shinokawa seem to be, hmm, at the 'top' of their field right now, and I was just thinking that maybe this has something to do with why they've been chosen as targets. Obviously we can't be sure with only three incidences so far, but it could be something to consider," she explains with a shrug.

Ami looks thoughtful as she mulls over Usagi's idea. "The idea has some merit, though I agree it's too soon to really draw any conclusions. But I agree, we should keep it in mind." Then she stands. "I have to go now, but I'll let you know when I hear from the company about the competition."

"Same," Usagi says, and without another word the genius departs. Usagi spares a glance at Rei as she too stands to leave. "I wouldn't worry about the modeling contest too much. It's clearly a sham, so if you really don't want to do anything you won't have to."

Rei gives her an appreciative smile and nods. "Thanks, Usagi-chan."

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Usagi slows her walk as she makes her way back from the grocery store, having run some errands from Miharu-san. Not long after she'd left Ami sent the group chat a message about her acceptance into the contest, and Usagi knows her own is probably waiting for her in the mail. Which means this is the perfect opportunity to visit the Crown Game Center. She walks in and immediately perks upon seeing her favorite person. "Motoki-oniisan!"

He turns around to greet her with a smile. "Usagi-chan, it's good to see you again."

"Did you miss me?" she asks, a coy smile on her face.

Motoki chuckles. "You've been gone quite a lot this week. Busy?"

Before Usagi responds another voice chimes in. "Not with studying, if her grades are anything to go by," Mamoru chuckles, a teasing grin on his face.

Usagi frowns, though her heart skips a beat at seeing him seated next to Motoki and she has no idea why. "My grades are fine, thank you," she snaps back. "And for your information, it was that girlfriend of yours keeping me busy these past few days." More or less.

"Girlfriend?!" Motoki remarks, shooting a surprised look at Mamoru. "You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend."

A grimace twists at Mamoru's face as he regards the older boy. "Because I don't," he says. "Mizuno just wanted to mess with you," he says to Usagi now. "Believe me, I have no interest in dating a middle schooler."

Usagi glares suspiciously at the other teen as she mulls over his words. That certainly sounds like something Ami would do, and she really hopes that's all it was. "Good," she finally nods, "Ami was too good for you anyways."

Mamoru chuckles. "A genius like her, yeah I don't doubt that," he agrees.

"Why do you two even know each other?" Usagi asks, curious. She's never imagined Ami to be the social type, and Mamoru doesn't seem like someone she'd normally be caught into conversation with.

"She came for a visit at my high school, and we happened to bump into each other and get talking about classes. I think her words were, 'I didn't seem as dumb as the rest of my classmates,'" he answers, a wry grin on his face. "I'm surprised to hear she hangs with you, though, Bun-head. You don't seem particularly smart."

Usagi bristles, anger coursing through her from his words. "My intelligence has nothing to do with it," she snaps.

"So what have you been doing?" Motoki quickly interjects before Usagi can work up more to say.

Her eyes narrow and she sends one more dirty look towards Mamoru before turning to the college student. "Well…" Usagi starts, but then trails off because there's no way she can tell them they've been following a student who will probably turn into a monster tomorrow. "We've been talking about that kid who won that photography contest recently. Apparently he'll be holding some modeling contest tomorrow, and we signed up for it," she finally replies.

"A modeling contest?" Motoki asks, looking surprised. "I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

Mamoru snorts. "I wouldn't quit your day job, Bun-head."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Usagi scowls, only a little insulted. She may not be the prettiest girl out there – and she's never been too concerned with her appearance – but she knows she isn't that bad looking. Mamoru is probably only saying it to antagonize her, but she will admit it still stings.

"On the bright side, it's probably not a real competition. This kid's had a taste of fame and now he's using his name for the opportunity to photograph a bunch of chicks," he continues. "It's not really photography at that point, just some dumbass kid. Never took you for the kind of girl who would go for something like this, Bun-head."

Usagi huffs, crossing her arms defensively. She isn't, and some part of her burns to convince him that he's right, but she doesn't know how to do that without explaining why she's really going. "Whatever," she mutters. "I never really wanted to be a model anyways."

"I'm sure it'll be a fun experience either way," Motoki adds diplomatically. Mamoru snorts again but doesn't try to argue.

"Yeah, well I'm off then. I have more important things to do that don't involve modeling," he says as he stands to leave them. Usagi doesn't care to comment, though Motoki does give the other boy a farewell. As soon as he's gone she rounds on the worker.

"Why are you hanging out with him?" she asks, barely keeping the petulance from her tone.

Motoki just chuckles and replies with a shrug, "A mutual friend introduced us and we talked for a bit. He's interested in attending my university once he graduates, so I was telling him about it. Now we see each other every once in a while around." Then he smiles and pats Usagi's head a few times in what she assumes is supposed to be a reassuring manner. "Don't worry, he doesn't stop by the center too often. You won't have much competition for my attention."

Usagi can't help the flush that fills her cheeks and she pouts, looking away from the other boy to hide her expression. "Like I care about that!" she retorts hotly from embarrassment. "I just don't care to see him around. He's annoying."

"Hmm, and I wonder why," Motoki responds, and Usagi blinks in surprise, swiftly turning back to shoot him an incredulous look.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" she asks indignantly. Surely he couldn't be implying…But she never gets a response no matter how she pesters Motoki, and eventually she gives up with a pout to play the Sailor V video game. It doesn't keep her from shooting Motoki dirty looks whenever he wanders over near her, but that only seems to amuse him even more.

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When Usagi arrives home the mailbox is empty, but she isn't concerned. Miharu-san likely checked the mail, and sure enough, when she walks into the dining room a little card is sitting right on the corner of the dining table. "Oh, Usagi-chan!' the older woman exclaims when she's spotted Usagi. "Some mail came for you, dear. What is it?" she asks enthusiastically, making her way over and taking the groceries. She's smiling, genuinely curious, and Usagi can't help but indulge her.

She quickly reads the back, catching the gist of the letter before she responds. "I've passed the first round for a modeling contest tomorrow," she tells her.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you!" she says brightly, smiling at Usagi. "You're such a beautiful young girl, I'm not surprised they picked you."

Usagi feels a tinge of heat on her cheeks at the woman's praise, which more than makes up for Mamoru's earlier comment. She's never really doubted her looks before, but hearing Miharu-san's genuinely earnest words make her all warm on the inside and it's not a feeling Usagi is very comfortable with. She ducks her head to avoid the woman's proud gaze, though a small smile betrays her pleased feelings. "Thanks," she says. "I'm gonna head upstairs now." She ducks out of the dining room before the woman can say another word.

Once she's in her bedroom she pulls out her communicator to send a quick message saying she was also accepted before tossing it aside and flopping on her bed. Ami's plan is going well, and Usagi knows almost certainly that something is going to happen. She's a little apprehensive, but not too worried. It's only another monster, after all, and though Ami says they're stronger than before all three of them are going to be there, so the odds of her being overwhelmed are smaller. 'This fight will be fine,' she tells herself, resolving not to worry about it.

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Noon the next day finds all three girls in an auditorium packed with other girls. It's a little overwhelming, Usagi things, but she supposes Ami's assumption about the contest is true. The more girls the more energy, so they probably didn't turn down very many people, if at all. The only unfortunate part is that for the main competition they've been split into different groups, which will make the reconnaissance hard.

"Look, just get to your designated room and then leave early to join up with the rest," Ami tells them before they head their separate ways. Usagi nods, Rei doing the same despite the nervous expression on her face, and then they're heading off in different directions.

For all the girls that had been present the halls get empty pretty quickly. She counts the doorways until she hits her designated number and opens it to head inside. The other four girls in her group are already there, and to her horror Usagi recognizes half of them.

"Oh, Usagi-san!" Osaka remarks upon seeing her enter the room. She sitting at the wall-length vanity touching up her makeup. "I didn't know you'd entered the competition. Wow, isn't this great? Even Haruna-sensei is here," she adds, leaning forward to whisper to Usagi. Usagi's gaze flicks towards the closed changing room where she'd seen her teacher vanish just after she'd entered the room.

"Yeah, weird," Usagi replies absently.

"You should hurry up and get changed; our group will be called soon, I think," she continues, oblivious to how tense Usagi has grown. Escaping to join the others might be a bit hard now. "You did bring your swimsuit, right?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm already wearing it." Even though they hadn't planned to actually take part in the photoshoot Usagi had still worn the attire the card had said to, just on the off chance it couldn't be avoided, and clearly that forethought is paying off.

"Great, then we can all head out together," Osaka says, moments before Sakurada exits the changing room. She looks surprised for a moment to see Usagi sitting there.

"Oh, Tsukino-san, you're here too. What a coincidence," she remarks as she sits down on Usagi's other side.

"Yeah. Well, I should…" she trails off, making a vague gesture towards the changing room before vanishing into the spot Sakurada just vacated. 'Okay,' she tells herself, trying to remain calm. 'This will just be a slight modification to the plan. Ami might hate it, but they'll never let me get out of this. Shit.' She debates sending a message to the others about the change in plan, but it's highly unlikely either of them will see it. By now they're probably waiting for her to join them, but Usagi is stuck.

She quickly drops her dress, neatly folding it up and placing it in her bag. There's no mirror in the little changing station, but she doesn't think she looks too bad in the white bikini she dug out of her closet literally this morning. It still fits her figure, and the strappy sides of her bottoms make it interesting enough for a photoshoot, she hopes. When she steps back out none of her companions say a word about her appearance, so Usagi takes that as a good sign. But it's not long before they finish up their primping and then they're dragging Usagi out with them to the set.

Shinokawa is standing on the far side of the pool where the lights and some props have been set up for the session. Immediately Usagi can tell this isn't the same boy she saw outside of Rei's school two days ago. There's something more…manic about his personality, and it's far cry from the shy teen who ran away from reporters. If anything this more than confirms that Shinokawa is the Dark Kingdom's next target.

Usagi tries not to let her nerves show as she gets into position with the other girls. She has no idea what could set him off and trigger the monster's appearance, and she can only hope she gets through this session without any incidences. Shinokawa instructs them on how to stand, adjusting the positions of their hands and legs and even heads as he sets them up how he pleases. Then he steps back and lifts his camera up, a wide grin on his face, and a feeling of dread creeps down Usagi's spine as she knows something bad is going to happen.

A moment later the doors to the pool are slammed open and Usagi hears the familiar cry of Sailor Mercury. "Mercury Bubble Spray!" The room floods with a thick fog and before Usagi can really think about it she's scrambling away from the other girls and around the pool as quickly as she dares. There are several cries of confusion from her companions, as well as an angered shout before the click of a shutter can be heard and then silence reigns around the room.

Usagi can't quite tell where her comrades are, but she has a feeling the monster might be appearing at any moment now and she really doesn't want to be caught facing it in a bikini. She doesn't hesitate another moment to transform. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

When the dust clears, Usagi isn't the only one to have changed. The girls she'd come in with are all missing, and several feet away from where she'd just stood lies Shinokawa. Above him stands a female monster in heels wearing a funky purple leotard with some weird protrusion on her right arm. Its attention is currently on Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars standing in the doorway and Usagi would very much like to keep it that way, if only to maintain the current advantage she has as an unknown combatant.

Luckily for her, Sailor Mercury seems to be thinking along the same lines as Usagi as she starts speaking to keep it distracted. "I am Sailor Mercury, Guardian of Water and Intelligence. Douse yourself in water and repent!"

"And I am Sailor Mars, Guardian of Fire and Passion. In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!" Sailor Mars joins in.

The monster grins. "Smile for the camera, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars. I'm sure you'll make a fine addition to my collection," she says, holding up her right arm. Something – it looks like an eyeball, though Usagi can't really tell – sits in the palm of its hand, and now it's pointed right at her comrades.

Usagi doesn't hesitate to attack while it's distracted. "Moon Tiara Action!" Her throw hits the monster in its side – not that she had many options to aim for, facing the side as it was – and it snarls in pain and anger, its arm swinging towards her. Usagi immediately ducks and dodges to the side, just in time for whatever beam it had shot from its hand to hit the mirror behind her and ricochet off wildly. One of the props gets hit instead, turning black and vanishing a moment later. 'So that's what happened to the girls,' she realizes.

She summons her tiara back for another attack as she moves into a better position a little closer, Mars intervening to draw its attention back with her Fire Soul. The monster tries to vanish it away with her beam attack, but it passes through the center and only absorbs part of the fire. The rest still hits, and though it doesn't do as much damage as it should have the monster is still screaming in pain and smoking in certain places.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Her second throw hits more solidly on the monster's back, and with one final scream it starts to disintegrate into nothing. As it disappears, dozens of Polaroid photos start to appear around it, resting for a moment before they too disappear, leaving the bodies of countless girls lying in their places.

Usagi looks over at Ami and Rei still on the other side of the pool, glancing briefly back at the girls scattered around her. 'Stay or go?' she wonders, taking a hesitant step towards her friends.

"Stay," Ami calls out, answering her unasked question. "Your group will undoubtedly wonder where you went if you suddenly leave, and we don't need the suspicion. We can meet up some other time."

"Okay," Usagi nods, and then both girls are quickly running from the pool. Usagi watches them go for a moment before dropping her transformation, and just in time too as some of the girls are starting to stir awake. They all seem very confused, others more concerned, but luckily none of them seem to remember what happened before they woke up. Usagi tries to blend in, acting just as confused as the rest. Eventually they start to file out, assuming the shoot is over. Shinokawa is still unconscious, and Usagi suspects it might take him a bit longer to recover.

Usagi makes small talk with Osaka and Sakurada-sensei – "Just Sakurada is fine," she had insisted earlier, but that's just too weird for Usagi to accept – as they head back to their changing room to get dressed again. When she leaves Usagi tries to look around for Ami and Rei but sees neither of them, so that 'meeting later' Ami had mentioned must not be happening right then. 'Wonderful,' Usagi thinks, 'I can go straight home now.'

For a fight with a monster that had supposedly outclassed them, it had gone surprisingly well, Usagi thinks. No one was injured, and though there were several dozen confused women back there everyone was going to recover with no issues. Usagi counts that as a win, and she can only hope the rest of their encounters are similarly as easy.


	20. The Grieving Doll

_Tsukino Usagi_

Usagi doesn't think anything about Shingo's classmates who stop her on her way home from school later that week, complaining about how he destroyed one of their friend's prize-winning dolls, until a day later when Ami is reporting another abnormal energy spike. She gets the text at dinner, though the disapproving look her father shoots her has her quickly pocketing the device for the rest of the meal. Still, it lingers in the back of her head and when she looks at her brother something clicks, the phrase "prize-winning" echoing dramatically.

Her brother is oddly subdued, enough that she stops by his room later that evening. She'd told the girls the day before that she would do something about it though she never really intended on doing anything. What Shingo did wasn't her business, not that he would have listened to her in the first place. But now that intervention might be a good idea, if only to figure out what's happened.

She doesn't bother knocking on his door, opening it right up though she does stop in the doorway. Her younger brother is sitting at his desk, furiously writing something. She watches for a moment as he scribbles something down, falters, curses, and then crumbles up the paper and tosses it behind him. That's when she notices the other balls of paper lying around the room. "What'cha doing there, Shingo?" she asks, trying to make her tone as light as possible.

He flinches before turning in his chair to glare at her. "Nothing! Go away, stupid Usagi," he spits at her, though the slight flush on his cheeks tells her his attitude is more from embarrassment rather than actual anger.

Curious, she steps forward to pick up the nearest paper. His eyes widen and he makes an aborted move to reach for it, but Usagi has already smoothed it out to read. "To Mika-chan…" she reads aloud, immediately realizing what this is: an apology letter. She gives her brother a curious look. "Are you trying to apologize for breaking her doll?" she asks.

Shingo slumps in his chair, the fight drained of him when he realizes he won't be able to hide it from her. "Yeah…" he replies dejectedly. "I just – don't know what to say."

"That you're sorry?" Usagi suggests dryly, walking over to stand behind him and look at the current apology he's working on. It begins much the same as the letter she'd picked up.

"I've tried that," he retorts hotly. "It's just…I don't know, it doesn't seem like it's enough."

"Then do something more," she replies simply. When her brother looks up at her with a confused expression, Usagi tries to elaborate. She has to do some quick thinking because she's never really given apologies, much less heartfelt ones, so this is a little out of her depth, but she thinks she comes up with something decent. "She tried to give you a gift, right? Her prize-winning doll. So give her something in return, something meaningful. A gift. To show that you really do value her as a friend."

"Like what?"

Usagi falters. "Uh, chocolate, flowers, a stuffed animal?" she suggests. "What do you think she'd like?" she asks, throwing it back at her brother. Like she'd know what his friend would want. They're elementary schoolers.

Her brother looks contemplative for a moment before a thought seems to occur to him and he grins. "I have an idea," he says, and then turns to Usagi. "Thanks, Usagi."

She blinks, stunned for a moment by the sincerity of her brother's words, and the emotion. They aren't very close siblings, more antagonistic than not towards each other, so moments like this are few and far between. Finally she nods, deciding against teasing him for the sentiment, and then makes her way from the room. Shingo will figure it out on his own, and she maybe has a lead she can give Ami to look into. It almost seems like her theory is starting to be proven right.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When Usagi gets up late Saturday morning she checks her phone first off just to see if Ami has responded with any information about her suspicions, but there aren't any notifications, from Ami or anyone else. 'Well then,' she thinks. 'Guess I've got nothing to do. Maybe I'll head to the arcade again…' she muses idly, laying back down.

For the first time in a while Usagi feels like she has a moment to relax. This new enemy of theirs from the Dark Kingdom has been relentless lately, triggering one monster after the next. They've already dealt with two different monsters this week – the student from Rei's school, and her home economics teacher after that – Usagi had had to dress up as a bride, and then there was some spider monster, but Ami caught the bouquet in the end and that was pretty funny – but really, Usagi wonders if this new enemy is hanging around the schools, because that's especially creepy. And now this latest, who may or may not be Shingo's friend. Usagi sighs and rolls over in bed, throwing the covers up above her head to block the light from her window. It's open, which means Luna must've snuck out sometime before she awoke. Good thing, too, or the cat likely would've had her out of bed as soon as she was up.

Instead Usagi lazes around her room, reading the new manga she's been collecting and catching up on the latest anime. She avoids her schoolwork – she can afford to skip the assignments – and devotes herself to having a lazy day.

Until her brother knocks on her door just after noon. Usagi had thought it was Miharu-san again – the older woman had dropped off lunch not too long ago, to Usagi's appreciation – and so she'd opened the door without another thought thinking it was her again. She's surprised to find her brother standing there instead, looking oddly nervous holding something behind his back. "Shingo?" she asks, confused.

He fidgets nervously for a moment before finally speaking up. "Would you…go with me to give this to Mika-chan?" He looks up at her from under his eyelashes, much more unsure than the younger brother Usagi is used to.

"Uhh, I guess? If you want me to," she agrees, and then immediately wonders why she did that. Normally she wouldn't care to indulge her brother like this – they're not close siblings at all – so it must be his odd demeanor that's throwing her off. "Let me get dressed." She closes the door on him, shooting it an odd look before doing as she said.

Three minutes later she makes her way downstairs to find her brother waiting in the living room for her, present resting on his lap. "Let's go, Shingo," she says, startling him to attention. He jumps up and they set off.

"So where are we going exactly?" she asks some minutes later, having followed her brother thus far.

"Um, her family's gallery," he replies. "They're doing a show today."

Usagi makes a noise in response to that but doesn't ask any more questions. She's not exactly sure what her brother wants her there for. He's perfectly capable of walking around town on his own. But this is probably more to do with giving the gift he's holding, she figures. Not that she knows what she could do to help with that. She's certainly not going to give it to this Mika-chan herself.

Shingo leads her practically right into town. It's not quite near the Juuban shopping district, but closer to one of the parks. Usagi is surprised to find that it's not some gallery for art, but rather dolls. It…almost creeps her out a bit. As Usagi looks around a woman who'd been standing near the entryway approaches Shingo and they start talking. The woman seems worried, and Usagi wonders if this is Mika-chan's mother.

"Come, I'll take you both to see her," the woman says, catching Usagi's attention. She looks over, glancing between the two of them, but her gaze catches on her brother's nervous expression. He's trying to hide it, holding himself rigidly still so he doesn't fidget, but she can tell.

"Right, okay, lead on," she agrees.

The woman shoots her a relieved smile before heading off, Shingo trailing behind, and Usagi walks a bit quicker to catch up to him.

.

_Chiba Mamoru_

Mamoru quietly admits to himself that maybe this isn't such a good idea after all. Walking into the gallery full of dolls, he once again realizes he has exactly _zero_ interest in dolls. They're fucking creepy, in his opinion, and the ones here are no different. But something about this place was giving him bad vibes and he'd just had to check it out. He wanders over to the first display, figuring he might as well take a look while he tries to figure out what's going on.

Some minutes later, after he figures he's stared at the one doll long enough, he moves onto another, but as he does a flash of blonde from the corner of his eye catches his gaze and he turns. Walking into the gallery is none other than Tsukino Usagi with a little boy at her side – her brother, probably, he assumes. Mamoru lets a smirk curl at his lips in amusement. Seems he's always running into the younger girl, even at places like this. She doesn't seem to notice him, though, but maybe later he can manage to run into her and tease her a bit. That might make this trip worth it.

Mamoru continues to move through the gallery, and though the bad feeling never leaves he still can't pinpoint where it's coming from or what's causing it. He moves onto another display, his ire growing, when he accidentally brushes shoulders with someone walking the other way. "Sorry," he turns to say, though the man makes him pause.

"No, I'm sorry," he says, his voice deep, though his brow is furrowed in confusion as he looks at Mamoru. "Do…I know you?" he asks.

Mamoru blinks, though there is definitely something familiar about the guy. But it's just another feeling he can't place. "I don't think so," he replies.

"Right." Then the man turns and continues walking. Mamoru watches him go for another moment, confused by whatever he'd just felt, before he mentally shakes himself and turns back to the next display. He's here for a reason, not to chase after semi-familiar guys.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

Usagi doesn't need Rei's level of spiritual awareness to tell that Mika-chan has been influenced by their new enemy. Her whole demeanor is snappish and rude and there's clearly a shadow covering her expression. Usagi hangs back once they enter her room, letting the mom and Shingo start the talking. The mother is swiftly kicked out and Usagi tenses when her brother tries to approach his friend. She tries not to draw attention as she reaches for her communicator to activate the panic button.

Her brother barely gets a word out because Mika-chan isn't paying him any attention. She's entirely focused on the doll in her lap, until she stops fiddling with it to proclaim, "It's done!" Then the doll on the table starts to react, its hair flying up as a dark shadow starts to gather around it. Her brother falters, taking a fearful step back as it starts to engulf Mika-chan in a dark purple energy. When she falls to the ground unconscious a tall woman stands above her, wearing nothing so they can clearly see the segmented doll-like limbs of hers.

She looks down at Shingo before whipping her hand around to slap him harshly across the face. Usagi yelps in indignation as her brother is pushed across the room, roughly hitting the wall nearby her. The present he'd had in his hand – a small figurine of some character Usagi can't make out – falls to the ground, miraculously still intact. At least until the monster takes a step forward, unforgivingly crunching the figuring under her foot.

'Well,' Usagi thinks, 'not how I would've chosen to get Shingo out but at least now I can transform.' "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

When she's finished transforming she stands proudly before the monster and points an imperious finger at it. "I am Sailor Moon, Guardian of Love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you! No one hits my brother like that and gets away with it," she adds with a growl.

The doll woman's eyes flash red for an instant and Usagi tenses in anticipation of an attack. She has no idea how far out Mercury and Mars are, so for now she'll have to hold it off herself. But instead of the monster attacking, the doll that had been sitting on the desk comes flying out of nowhere towards Usagi, forcing her to dodge to the side to avoid it. She does so with a yelp, her eyes wide in the face of the innocent-looking doll's vicious looking mouth of teeth. It pauses in the space where she'd previously stood, practically upside down. Its eyes roll down so they're visible again and the thing starts to turn towards Usagi. She swallows and turns in the split second it takes to start moving again, chasing her around the room.

There isn't very far for her to go, but at least the thing can only move in straight lines, giving her a moment of reprieve as it changes to face her again. At least, she'd thought it was reprieve, standing in front of the window. She isn't winded – not anywhere near that – but she certainly isn't paying attention to the doll woman, and that's her first mistake. The woman lunges, her ceramic hands roughly grabbing and digging into Usagi's shoulders as her momentum and weight pushes them both through the large window in the room.

They crash into the sidewalk amidst a shattering of glass, the sharp pieces digging into Usagi's back as she's pinned under the monster's weight. The sharp nails of its hands dig into her shoulders – Usagi can't quite tell, but she's pretty sure they've pierced skin – and its straggly green hair hands limp around their faces. She tries to shift her weight to throw it off, hands clutching its forearms to no avail, but the thing has pinned her solidly.

"Mars Fire Soul!"

Hot flames scorch the air above Usagi, striking the doll monster directly and flinging her off Usagi. Her nails are roughly yanked out of her shoulders, drawing a sharp cry from Usagi, but she ignores the stinging in her shoulders to roll over off the shattered glass and stand with her comrades. "Thanks, Mars," she grits out, rolling her shoulders to test the pain. It stings, but she figures she'll be fine enough to fight.

"Don't thank me just yet," the girl replies, her tone grim.

Confused, Usagi looks over to the monster as it starts to stand up, looking virtually unscathed from her flame attack. "Shit."

"Your attacks aren't going to work on me," she says with a chuckle.

"Mercury Bubble Spray!" A thick fog covers the area, hiding the monster from view and hopefully them as well. "Keep it distracted and I'll try to figure out its weak spot," Ami urgently whispers, pressing at one of her earrings to activate her Mercury Goggles.

"We'll try, but no guarantees with this fog," Usagi replies.

A moment after she says that two more of those dolls come flying into their group, one slamming right into Ami's gut and throwing her to the ground while the other targets Rei. She manages to dodge its clawed attack on her face, but only barely, four tiny scratch marks appearing on her upper cheek. She grits her teeth and turns to face the doll, but beside her on the ground Ami seems to be struggling to get the thing off of her. Usagi moves to help her first, kicking out at the doll as hard as she can to punt it off her comrade. Then she reaches down to help the other girl up.

"So much for trying," she mutters.

"I'll deal with them," Mars instructs. "You keep looking at the monster." The fog is starting to thin again and Usagi can just make out the monster's outline in the distance. Closer to them, the tiny dolls are gearing up for another attack.

Mars starts chanting, her hands together in prayer while her eyes close to aid her concentration. When she finishes her chant her eyes snap open with a burning glint as she shouts, "Evil spirit, be exorcised!" Two talismans appear in her hands that she proceeds to stick on the flying dolls as they attack, catching them right in the face. The talismans activate to freeze them in place a moment before they drop to the ground, useless.

They get two seconds to feel elated about taking them down before the doll monster is lunging out of nowhere at Sailor Mars. It tightly holds her up by the neck, growling in her face. "I'll make you pay for destroying my creations!"

Usagi gasps in surprise, her eyes widening in panic as she turns to Sailor Mercury. "What do we do?" she asks, reaching for her tiara. She only semi-confident in her ability to throw it without hitting Mars, if it'll even do anything. That's really her only option, though.

"I don't know yet!" Ami snaps back, though she seems a little panicked as well. Usagi can see Rei starting to turn a little blue as she struggles for air, but she knows better than to tell Ami to hurry up. Annoying the other girl is the last thing they need.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you two," the monster snarls. Its hands, which weren't really attached in the first place, detach to stay around Rei's throat, and instead she points her handless arms at them.

Usagi has a moment to think, 'Oh shit,' before she's pushing Ami out of the way and throwing herself to the side as the forearm and upper arm pieces detach further from its body to launch at them. "Anything?" she can't help asking, kneeling on the ground next to Ami.

"Um –" she begins, but Usagi is roughly dragging her up and pushing her aside. Seconds later more of those limbs are smashing right where they were.

"Keep moving," she interrupts. "It's not gonna stop," she mutters, flashing back to the first monster she'd faced after Jadeite. A tinge of fear – that instinctive feeling you feel when something is chasing or hunting you – trickles down Usagi's spine and something tells her that she _cannot_ stop moving.

The sound of something shattering behind them interrupts Usagi's rushing thoughts long enough for her to pause, glancing back. The hands that had been wrapped around Rei's throat are in pieces on the ground before her, along with a red rose. Her gaze trails upwards to where she can see a dark-clothed figure standing on the rooftop, a grin twitching at her lips. "Tuxedo Mask!"

"Take her down now, Sailor Moon!" he shouts.

Usagi's eyes widen and she turns to Ami. "The ankle," the genius answers her unasked question. "Right ankle, aim there."

Usagi nods in determination, grabbing for her tiara. The monster sees and lifts her arms again, a snarl twisting her face, but two more roses are piercing through her skin before she can let them go. "Moon Tiara Action!" Her aim obliterates the foot, but it must catch enough of the ankle that the monster starts to disintegrate.

She rushes over to Rei to see how the other girl is doing. She's kneeling on the ground, wheezing through her injured throat, but at least the scratches seem to have stopped bleeding. Ami comes up beside her to take a look at her throat, where the bruises from the monster's hands are an ugly purple. "I'll take care of her," Ami says. "Didn't you come here with your brother?"

Usagi nods. "I'll go check on them really quick." She stands and leaves the two to head back to the window, hopping back through to get inside. Miraculously, no one seems to have heard anything that went on, in this room or outside. Both Mika-chan and her brother are in the same spots they were left in before. She stops by Mika-chan first, but the girl seems to be fine, if not exhausted.

Her brother seems to be fine, too, as far as she can tell. There's a small bump on the back of his head, but when she reaches out to touch him he starts to stir. Usagi flinches and stands, almost turning away before her brother's voice stops her. "Usagi?" he asks, his voice so much smaller than what she's used to hearing.

"Uh…" she starts before clearing her throat. "No, sorry kid, you must have me confused with someone else. I'm Sailor Moon, Champion of Love and Justice."

"Oh. Did you help Mika-chan?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine when she wakes up," she replies. "I've gotta go, kid. Don't get into any more trouble now." She doesn't wait for her brother to say anything else, quickly jumping back through the window to join her friends. Mars is looking a lot better now, though Ami looks a bit more worn. "We should probably leave soon. My brother is up and I don't think it'll be much longer before Mika-chan is up as well. Are you guys good to move?"

"Yeah." Rei stands, dragging Ami up with her. The genius sways on her feet for a moment before finding her balance and standing tall.

"I feel the sudden urge to eat a fucking horse," she grumbles. Then she shoots Usagi a grimace. "Are your shoulders too bad or can I take a look at them in an hour?"

Usagi blinks, trying to look down at herself but the injuries are too high up for her to properly see. "They really only ache right now. If we just clean them I should be fine; don't waste your energy."

"Back to the shrine, then," Rei says. Usagi nods in agreement, and in the next moment they take off.

* * *

Author's Note: This story will be going on temporary hiatus for the next week while I take finals, so I won't be posting the next update until 16 May 2020.


	21. Nephrite's Threat

Author's Note: Make sure you've read Chapter 20 before you read this one. (Y'all I totally forgot to post this after Chapter 20 (lol) so have it right before Chapter 21).

* * *

_Nephrite_

"Those Guardian…" Nephrite snarls as the images change in his crystal ball. "Five times now they've managed to interrupt my plans." But the next image that appears isn't one of the three girls giving him trouble, but a man in a black tuxedo wielding red roses. "And this Tuxedo Mask." As he watches, though, a thought occurs to him. 'The girls may be showing up to counteract my plans, but this one shows up to help them out. If it weren't for him I'd have killed those brats by now!' he internally seethes.

"Nephrite~" a voice calls out behind him, "Queen Beryl wishes to see you."

Nephrite doesn't bother to hide his annoyance as he turns to find his fellow Commander, Zoisite, standing behind him. "Very well then." He doesn't wait for the other to teleport to the center of Queen Beryl's throne room. "My Queen, you wished to see me," he says without further fanfare.

"Nephrite, you don't seem to be making much progress gathering human energy," Queen Beryl says, regarding him coolly.

Nephrite feels the moment Zoisite appears behind him and he just knows there's a smug expression on the other Commander's face. "The universe wasn't created in a day," he replies, letting the annoyance creep into his tone.

Queen Beryl doesn't take kindly to the retort, her hair flying up with her displeasure. "Silence!" she snaps. "If you cannot defeat those Sailor Guardians, I will turn you to stone the same way I did Jadeite!" There's tittering from the gathered crowd behind him, but Nephrite isn't as bothered by her threat.

"That's one terrifying punishment," Zoisite remarks.

"I am Nephrite, one of the Dark Kingdom's Four Commanders," he turns around to snarl, and it makes the closest of Queen Beryl's subjects back away in fear, though Zoisite is unfazed. "I don't need to be told how to defeat the Sailor Guardians."

"Jadeite said the same thing as well, and look what happened to him," Zoisite taunts. "What makes you think you can do better?"

Nephrite doesn't bother to respond, instead directing his next words to Queen Beryl. "I vow to lure Sailor Moon out of hiding and eliminate her. "And I already have a plan."

Queen Beryl chuckles darkly. "Very well" she says, "but should you fail…" she trails off, her sultry tone turning threatening. She doesn't have to finish for Nephrite to understand her meaning. He nods and vanishes back to his mansion in the woods outside Tokyo. He won't be picking a target this time, but this new plan of his will take some preparation.


	22. Love Letter from Tuxedo Mask

_Tsukino Usagi_

When she comes downstairs on the last day of classes before summer break, there's an innocent pink letter lying on the dining table with her name addressed on the front. She picks it up, confused about who could be writing to her, but when she flips it over that question is easily solved. 'From Tuxedo Mask,' the letter reads, and Usagi's eyes widen in surprise. She quickly rushes back upstairs to her room to read if before Miharu-san can notice her presence and ask her about it.

Luna seems surprised to see her back so soon, and when she enters the cat perks her head up curiously. "Usagi-chan, what're you doing here? What's that you've got there?"

Usagi sits heavily on the bed beside her as she tears open the envelope. "A letter from Tuxedo Mask," she replies absently, quickly scanning its contents. "I love you more than anything else. Please come meet me at MS mall at Shinjuku tomorrow night," she reads aloud for Luna's benefit. "What the hell is this?"

"Suspicious, at the very least," Luna replies. "How does Tuxedo Mask know you're Sailor Moon? He could've followed you back, Usagi-chan! You need to be more careful!" the cat starts to scold her, batting her lightly with her paws. Usagi's only grateful she doesn't use claws.

"Hey, Luna, watch it!" she snaps back. "I don't know how he figured it out!" She shoots a confused glance at the letter. She has so many questions, the most important of them being whether if this is this real or not? And while she doesn't quite want to acknowledge it, the slight stutter in her chest tells her that perhaps she wants it to be true.

"We need to tell the others and come up with a plan for tomorrow," Luna says. Usagi absently nods her agreement.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It gets worse when she gets to school.

"Usagi-san!" Naru crows as soon as Usagi walks into the classroom. Her first reaction is to flinch at the noise, but then she pulls out her earbud and realizes it's only Naru and she relaxes. It's taken some adjusting, but she's no longer surprised that Naru talks so freely to her. They're almost friends, maybe good acquaintances, if Usagi had to label it.

"What?" she asks as she takes her seat. The other girl follows her to her desk and lays down a familiar looking letter that has Usagi freezing in her seat. "What's this?" she asks, feigning unrecognition.

"You mean you didn't receive one? All the girls in class got these love letters from someone named Tuxedo Mask, isn't that neat?" she explains brightly, her expression dimming momentarily when Usagi hints she never received one.

"But does anyone actually know who Tuxedo Mask is?" another girl that had been listening to their conversation asks. A couple of them are standing around Usagi's desk and it makes her oddly uncomfortable. They never usually talk to her, and she honestly prefers it that way.

"No idea. Never heard of him," she replies tersely. The girls don't seem pleased, either from her answer or her tone, but it does get them talking amongst themselves. Usagi lets out a subtle sigh in relief, though Naru takes that moment to lean closer to her.

"You know what I think," she whispers to Usagi.

"What?" Usagi says just as quietly, curious about what she has to say. Naru has come into quite a bit of contact with their enemies compared to most other people in Juuban – which is actually quite a feat, now that Usagi thinks about it; her and Sakurada-sensei have had it rough – so maybe during one of those numerous occasions she noticed something Usagi hadn't?

"What if it's Sanjoin Masato?" she giggles, a light flush dusting her cheeks.

Usagi tries not to let her instinctive reaction show. Ami still has yet to confirm anything suspicious about the man, but that doesn't give Usagi any comfort. She still has a bad feeling about him, but the fact that Naru seems pretty attached to the guy only worries her further. "They don't really look the same, though, do they? Sanjoin has such long hair…" she says instead, subtly trying to dissuade her of the idea. She doubts any of the other girls are going to treat this love letter as a real thing – because while Sailor Moon may be starting to make a name for herself among civilians, Tuxedo Mask has not and so remains virtually unknown – of all of them to seriously consider it Usagi would pick Naru.

Naru lets out a dreamy sigh. "I guess you're right," she says wistfully, and Usagi prays that'll be the extent of her imaginings.

Sakurada-sensei arrives not long after, and soon the matter of Tuxedo Mask's love letter is settled. She seems particularly against it when she warns the girls against love letter pranks. Usagi can only hope they take her advice and stay away from the MS mall. This whole scenario is reminding her an awful lot of Jadeite's attack at the airport, but to come to a head with the man in charge so soon? Yeah, this is definitely going to be a conversation for the Sailor Guardians.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ami and Usagi head to the Hikawa Shrine after school, only to find out that Rei's stuck in bed with a minor cold. But she has received a love letter as well. "Unfortunately this isn't something I could heal with my Mercury Power," Ami says when she checks Rei over.

"That's fine, Ami-san," Rei says, coughing lightly. "I appreciate you visiting."

Ami grimaces. "Well, don't be offended when we don't stay. I don't want to catch whatever you've got," she says rather curtly.

An understanding smile graces Rei's face. "I'm not. I wish I could help you with this, but I'm feeling pretty bad right now."

"We'll discuss it and send you a report of what we decide," Usagi interjects as Ami starts gathering her things. They don't stay much longer, leaving the shrine mere minutes after arriving. They head down to the bus stop by some unspoken agreement, and while they wait Usagi strikes up a conversation. "I don't really think there's much to discuss," she begins. There's no one there with them, so she feels fine discussing Guardian things. "It's clearly a trap." It pains her to admit it, but that's the only thing she can think of.

"I agree. Normally this is about the time where someone's energy would start to peak, a sign of the enemy's new movement, but I haven't seen anything. This must be their latest ploy, but I wonder why they've decided to change their tactics," she muses, tapping idly at her computer. Usagi thinks she's running a scan over the city, but none of those graphs are labeled so really it could be anything.

"You think they could be trying to lure us out?" she suggests, thinking aloud. "I mean, if they've been watching us fight then they could've noticed how Tuxedo Mask sometimes comes to save us."

"That would make the most sense, but they're making a big assumption thinking we'll be enticed by Tuxedo Mask professing his love to us." Usagi winces, trying to play the movement off as looking around the area, but Ami is too smart and perceptive to miss it. She looks over incredulously at Usagi. "Don't tell me you were fooled by it?"

"What? No!" Usagi adamantly denies, though by the look in Ami's eyes the genius clearly doesn't believe her. "I wasn't," she insists. "But…maybe I wished it was true," she reluctantly admits, looking away, though her gaze flicks back to her companion a moment later. There's an odd expression on her face, almost like confusion and disapproval combined into one, and Usagi immediately gets defensive. "What?"

Ami shrugs, and the expression is gone in the next blink. "Nothing. I just…don't understand it, I guess."

"Oh?" Usagi asks, her tone rising in pitch as she starts to tease the other girl. "The genius doesn't understand?"

One of Ami's eyebrow twitches and Usagi starts to think that maybe she's hit a sensitive topic. "I'm good at science and math because it's logical. There are processes. One plus one always equals two, acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second squared – those things don't change. But emotions…you can't quantify them, and the qualifications are different depending on every person. It makes no sense. So no, I don't understand why you like Tuxedo Mask. We've barely interacted with him, let alone spoken to him. Have you ever actually spoken to him?"

"Yes…?" Usagi says, though the way she trails off uncertainly doesn't seem to impress Ami. It's been a while, but Usagi knows she's talked to him before. Maybe not since they joined her, but she has.

"So there's not even much of a basis for your crush in the first place," Ami observes.

"Shut up," Usagi retorts, crossing her arms indignantly. "It's not just some crush, it's…I don't know how to explain it. When I'm with Tuxedo Mask, something inside me just…instinctively reacts. When he touches me, this warmth fills me and it feels like I'm coming home, you know?"

"No," she deadpans.

Usagi shoots her an unamused look. "I'm trying to help you understand here, but you've got to work with me a little."

"I don't want to understand."

She throws her hands up in the air as she lets out a noise of frustration. Ami is unfazed. "We have a connection!" she insists. "I know it."

"Can you prove it?"

Usagi can't help the growl that escapes her as she glares at Ami. Judging from the little smirk at the corner of her mouth, the genius knows exactly what she's doing and she's clearly enjoying it. "I'm going to go meet Tuxedo Mask at the MS mall in Shinjuku tonight."

That finally gets a reaction out of the other girl. "What?" she asks, shooting Usagi a look. "I thought we agreed that it was a trap?"

"We did," Usagi agrees. "But in addition to possibly learning more about the enemy, this might also lure out the _real_ Tuxedo Mask, and maybe I'll be able to get some actual information from him." She doesn't mention her worry about Naru and the girl's uncanny proclivity to find herself in danger. She's got her head stuck on Sanjoin Masato, and Usagi knows it's going to get her into trouble sooner or later.

Ami looks at her for a long while, long enough that Usagi's bus drives up. "Okay," she finally says as Usagi starts to leave. "I'll trust that you're serious about this, so I'll figure something out."

"Thanks Ami-chan!" Usagi calls out brightly right before the door cuts her off. She sees the genius roll her eyes, but she still waves goodbye so Usagi counts that as a win. 'Why can't all our Guardian meetings be like that?' she muses as she takes a seat. With her afternoon now free, she figures it'll be fine if she wastes a couple of hours at the arcade. As long as they have something for tonight Luna will be pleased.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Nephrite_

In his Sanjoin Masato disguise, Nephrite heads to the MS mall a day early to scout out the area. All of the letters had arrived this morning, sent to every middle school girl in the Juuban district. One of them was bound to be Sailor Moon, and the temptation of meeting Tuxedo Mask would hopefully draw her out tomorrow night.

"Sanjoin-sama!" a girly voice calls out, drawing his surprised attention. He turns to find a young girl approaching him, a dark flush on her cheeks. "It's me, Osaka Naru, from the Juuban Middle School tennis team," she says, looking down in embarrassment.

Nephrite rakes his memories to place where he'd seen the girl before. She must've seen him when he stopped by the school to infect Saionji Rui's racket. "Ah, yes," he says, pretending to know her as he walks over. "Are you here shopping?" She couldn't possibly be here because of him, could she?

"Um…" she begins, trailing off, "do you mind if I ask you something?" Nephrite blinks. "Are you Tuxedo Mask?" she plows on.

"What?" Nephrite blurts, internally panicking. She couldn't possibly know that it was he who sent out those letters. She couldn't! "Why would you think that?"

She looks down, a wistful smile on her face. "N-no reason. I just thought it would be nice if you were…"

Nephrite's eyes narrow in suspicion. 'Why would she care?' he wonders, and then a thought occurs to him. 'Unless…she's Sailor Moon!'

"I'm sorry for asking such a weird question!" Osaka blurts out, flushing again. She looks ready to bolt and Nephrite knows he can't let her leave just yet. He has to know for sure.

"Naru-chan," he calls, catching her attention. "Did you know you're the cutest girl at Juuban Middle School?" he tells her, smirking. She flushes bright red but seems pleased by the compliment. "You know," he leans a little toward her, "I've been interested in you for a while now."

"Really?" she asks shyly.

Nephrite pulls out his most reassuring smile. "Yeah. I'll see you tonight," he says, turning to walk off, but not without one last wave goodbye. His smile drops as soon as his back is turned. 'Sailor Moon…how easily you've fallen into my trap.'

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Tsukino Usagi_

Ami calls a half hour before midnight. "Hey," Usagi says when she answers, rifling through her closet as she talks. She's planning on heading for the mall soon, so the other timed it perfectly.

_"How do you feel about going in yourself?" _is the first thing she says. No greeting, nothing. Usagi quietly snorts as she sets some clothes out.

"Uh, not super confident. Why?"

_"Rei and I can be there as backup, but I think it would be better for you to confront Tuxedo Mask alone since you have the better rapport with him."_

"Is Rei-chan well enough to come out tonight?" she asks, surprised.

_"To come out, yes, but probably not for a fight. Which is why we'll only intervene if this Tuxedo Mask turns out to be the enemy. If it's the real Tuxedo Mask, he'll likely be more willing to answer questions if you're the only one there." _

Usagi sighs. "Fine, you're probably right."

_"I'm almost always right," _the genius retorts. _"Are you going to go as Sailor Moon or approach as a civilian?"_

"Civilian."

_"Hmm, I wouldn't recommend that. If you have to transform suddenly there's a chance the enemy could learn your true identity." _

"You think? I was just planning to observe for a bit."

_"Observe what? I doubt Tuxedo Mask will appear until someone else does, so it would be smarter for you to just approach as Sailor Moon." _

"Alright," Usagi agrees with a sigh, hanging her outfit back up. 'Damn, I wanted to dress up tonight,' she thinks with a pout. "I'll be there in 10."

_"We'll set up somewhere nearby and keep watch. If I sense things start to get out of hand we'll be right there." _

"Okay." As soon as she agrees she hears a click from her communicator and she draws it back with surprise. "She hung up on me!" Usagi exclaims incredulously, more than a little amused. "Her bedside manner is going to be abysmal when she's a doctor." She checks the clock on her nightstand. "Might as well get going. Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Nephrite_

With his Tuxedo Mask disguise on, Nephrite waits at the top of the escalator for Sailor Moon to arrive. He knows she will, and he will finally get the chance to finish what Jadeite failed to do.

"Tuxedo Mask…" he hears a female voice call out, one he is starting to grow familiar with. "I mean, Sanjoin-sama, where are you?"

In the dark he can see Osaka start to approach the escalator, and when she stands in front of it he triggers the lights, drawing her attention with a dramatic flourish of his cape. "I'm over here," he calls out. She turns to him with a gasp, her face lighting up with pleasure when she spots him. 'She's so enamored with me; she has to be Sailor Moon!' "I'm glad you came," he tells her, flashing his brightest smile.

"That voice," she says, stepping forward. "You really are Sanjoin Masato."

He blinks, not having expected that response. "You can tell just by my voice?"

"Of course! That voice and that presence definitely belong to Sanjoin Masato." Her wondrous gaze never once leaves him.

"You like Sanjoin Masato that much?" he asks, a little confused. And here he was thinking she was in love with Tuxedo Mask.

She looks up at him descending on the escalator with amazement in her eyes, a flush high on her cheeks. "After hearing your words earlier today, I became a captive of love!" she proclaims.

Nephrite frowns and leaps the rest of the way down the escalator, landing just in front of her. "Sailor Moon! Show your true identity. Reveal yourself to me!" He pokes her roughly in the chest, intending to activate the power in her with the presence of his dark energy but…nothing happens.

Osaka rears back slightly with a gasp. "Sanjoin-sama…"

"What's wrong?" he sneers. "Go ahead and transform into Sailor Moon!"

"What are you talking about?" she asks, her brows furrowing in confusion as she loses some of the enchantment from her eyes.

"Aren't you Sailor Moon?" he asks, trying not to lose his temper. This is not how this was supposed to go!

"I love you, Sanjoin-sama," Osaka says, closing her eyes as she sways slightly towards him.

Nephrite grits his teeth and moves his finger to her forehead. 'Well, even if she's not Sailor Moon I won't let this night go to waste. She can make herself useful in other ways.' Without wasting another moment he starts to draw out her abundant energy fueled by her love.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

Everything is dark when she arrives at the MS mall in Shinjuku, not that she's surprised. On her way over she'd spotted more than a couple patrol cars on the surrounding streets, no doubt keeping an eye out for young girls who'd like to meet Tuxedo Mask. At least they're keeping their distance, just in case this does turn into a fight. Usagi doesn't want actual civilians to get involved.

Breaking into the shop is absurdly easy, but that only puts her more on guard. Someone is here, but which Tuxedo Mask will it be? She makes her way deeper into the store where she can see light coming from, keeping a wary eye out. When Jadeite had drawn them out he'd had clay golems lying in wait for them, but there doesn't seem to be anything like that now.

Then she rounds the corner where the lights are concentrated and struggles to hold back her gasp. Tuxedo Mask, or rather, someone dressed like Tuxedo Mask stands at the bottom of the escalator, and in his arms is an unconscious Osaka Naru. "Let go of Naru-san!" Usagi shouts, forgetting any and all ideas of surprising the enemy.

"Who's there?" the man turns towards the sound of her voice.

"I won't let you toy with that innocent girl's heart any longer," she proclaims. "I am Sailor Moon, but then I guess you already knew that," she smirks. "You sent those letters to draw me out, and it worked. Now let her go!"

The man sneers. "How could you tell I wasn't Tuxedo Mask?"

"Please, what do you take me for? I can sense that dark aura of yours from a mile away," she boasts. "I'll say it one more time. Let her go!"

He tosses her roughly to the side and Usagi suppresses her sympathetic wince. Osaka isn't going to wake up feeling good in the morning. Then he jumps into the air, flinging his cape aside as his clothes change into a familiar uniform. Usagi's eyes narrow. "Sanjoin Masato," she growls. 'I fucking told you, Ami.'

"I am Nephrite, one of the Four Commanders of the Dark Kingdom," he proclaims. "Indeed, I did pretend to be Tuxedo Mask to lure you out, in order to finish you off as my fellow Commander could not! Regulus, hear me now and lend me your strength." He throws his hand out and a bright light condenses before him into the form of a massive mint green lion.

"Shit," she blurts, turning on her heels in an instant. It follows, and she's only grateful it doesn't seem to be interested at all in Naru. But now she has to content with it herself, since neither Mercury nor Mars appear to assist her. 'But what kind of martial arts works on a damn lion?' she angrily thinks. 'When in doubt…' She reaches for her tiara as she runs, turning the corner where she'd come from. "Moon Tiara Action!" She throws it straight behind her and hears the lion roar in anger. She pauses and turns back to look. The lion is rubbing at its head where she struck, and Nephrite stands right behind it looking pissed. 'Why didn't that work?'

"Sailor Moon, over here, quick!" a voice she recognizes shouts, and she turns with a budding grin on her face to find Tuxedo Mask leaning in the doors of an elevator.

"Tuxedo Mask," Nephrite sneers.

"I don't appreciate my name being attached to fake love letter meant to lure out girls," he shouts back.

"Then fight me yourself!" Nephrite flings his arm out and the lion roars and charges again.

"Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask shouts again, but he doesn't need to tell her twice. She's already sprinting forward and he steps aside to let her in the elevator, quickly pressing the buttons to close the doors before the lion can get to them. Usagi watches, tense, as it gets closer and closer until the doors are finally shutting. But then Nephrite's words turn her blood cold.

"You completely fell for it."

"A trap," Usagi mutters, horror dawning on her as Tuxedo Mask struggles to get the doors open again.

"This elevator is going to go up, and it will continue to do so until it reaches the top floor," Nephrite explains, finishing with a dark chuckle. "I'm sure you can figure out what'll happen then." The elevator starts moving with a slight jump, startling Usagi.

'Ami,' Usagi thinks, trying to keep the panic from clouding her voice as she desperately projects her thoughts to her comrades. 'Ami, we're trapped in the elevator and it's going to drop us from the 15th floor!'

'We're on our way!' is the quick response she receives and it's almost enough to calm her, but not quite.

"We're going to get out of here," Tuxedo Mask proclaims, drawing her attention. He's looking intently at the top of the elevator and Usagi immediately knows what he's planning. He pushes open the latch with his cane, pulling himself up and out of the small opening and then reaching down to help her.

"Um…" Usagi starts nervously, but she doesn't hesitate to take his hand. She feels warm where they touch, and the sensation only serves to draw a flush to her cheeks. But now they stand on top of the elevator and she can see the floor numbers flashing by. Eleven just passed them, so she knows they'll be reaching the top soon and it kicks her heart back into a nervous flutter. "Now what?" she asks. She has no idea what Ami plans to do and she hopes to whatever god is out there that Tuxedo Mask at least has an idea.

"Get ready to jump," he instructs her.

"What?!" she blurts out incredulously as he lines up at the edge of the elevator. The elevator pauses when they reach the 13th floor, and in the moment before it drops her hear nearly falls from her chest from the anticipation. There's the twinge of a wire snapping and the sound gets Usagi moving. She lunges for the edge of the elevator just as Tuxedo Mask jumps as well, both of them reaching out for the ledge of the door.

Usagi hits the side of the elevator shaft roughly, having jumped too far in her hurry and panic, but her fingers scratch the edge of the door and she grips it desperately. Beside her, Tuxedo Mask hangs as well. "Now what?" she gasps, her tone strained. She's never had the strongest arms, and even with her enhanced Guardian form she isn't sure how long she can hang. Already she can feel the smooth cloth of her glove starting to slip and she tightens her grip.

"Just a moment."

"We don't have a lot of moments here!" she snaps back, angry in the face of his calm. They're dangling 15 floors up from a painful death!

"Talk about something then to distract yourself," is his terse response. Out of the corner of her eye she can see him struggling to do something, but she can't make out what and she isn't going to turn her head to check. She's balanced precariously enough as is.

She blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. "Why do you always come to save me?"

The rustling of fabric beside her stops for a second. "I…don't know," he replies haltingly. "Something in my blood tells me to."

'What?' Usagi thinks incredulously. "So you don't know why you want to save me, you just do?" She huffs out a laugh, though she tenses and her grip tightens when she feels herself slide just a bit. "You have to admit that's a little fucked. Who are you?"

Tuxedo Mask doesn't answer, though she hears him grunt as he heaves himself up onto the tiny ledge, having used a sign on the wall to help push himself up. He shuffles around a bit to find a stable position, breathing a little heavily, and then he looks down at Usagi. "I don't know that either; I can't remember my past. But I do think there's a connection between the two of us that draws me to you."

'Does this mean he feels it too?' Usagi wonders, blinking incredulously. That warm sensation she always feels when she touches him…if he feels it as well then there must be something between them. In her musings Usagi almost lets her grip slack, but quickly regains her senses. "As much as I'd love to discuss what you think of this connection between us, can you get a move on with the getting us out of here? I'm about an inch from falling to my death and I don't think I can hold on much longer."

He snorts. "Hold on a minute." He wedges himself in the small doorway so he can start to pry at the opening between the doors, though from the strained noises he's making it doesn't seem to be working. "I can't get the right leverage," he mutters to himself, though Usagi hears it and she isn't very comforted. All of her concentration is focused on her grip, though it's quickly getting harder to keep her fingers clenched tight enough to stop her sliding.

"Well can you pull me up too, then? Maybe I can get it from this side," Usagi suggests, desperate to get out of this situation. She still hasn't heard anything from Ami, which is worrying, but not as worrying as the decreasing distance between her fingertips and the ledge.

.

_Mizuno Ami_

As soon as she heard Usagi's panicked voice in her head she was urging Rei into moving. They leapt off the building across the street from the mall, heedless of whoever may have been watching. She activated her goggles as she ran, trying to get a quick layout of things. She saw Usagi and a figure that was probably Tuxedo Mask going up in the elevator, and they were moving a lot faster than she'd have expected. She picked up her pace just a bit, not that Mars complained despite her illness. She must've understood the unspoken urgency.

They rounded the corner onto the first floor, Ami heading straight for the elevator, but she paused when she saw there was a figure standing in front of it. He didn't look familiar, but she could see the similarities between his uniform and Jadeite's and she knew without a doubt that this was their new opponent. He turned when he heard their heels clacking on the tile, a curious look on his face.

"Ah, so the rest of you have finally decided to show yourselves," he says. "You're too late; nothing will stop that elevator from plummeting and Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are going to die." She sees Rei tense out of her peripheral vision and grits her teeth. This is just a minor setback in her plan. "I suppose since you're here," the man continues, "I can finish you off as well!"

He raises his hand but Ami is quicker. "Mercury Bubble Spray!" As soon as the fog covers the area Ami grabs Rei's arm and starts dragging her back the way they'd come. The stairwell was just around the corner. It would suck, but their best bet was to try and catch their comrades at the top floor. Ami just hoped the two of them were smart enough to try and escape the elevator. They didn't have much time left.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

It takes Tuxedo Mask some shuffling to find a position where he can reach down to carefully help her up to the ledge as well. Usagi only feels marginally safer once she's no longer dangling, but it's a close thing. Literally. There's maybe three or four inches of a ledge in total for them to balance on, and Usagi has plastered herself to the door.

Tuxedo Mask is lenient and lets her come to terms with the new spot before drawing her attention back to the matter at hand. "If we pull at the same time we should be able to get the doors open.

"Right," Usagi nervously agrees. Ever so slowly she shifts her position so she's facing the door, her right hand outstretched to grip at the crack between the doors.

"On three," Tuxedo Mask says. "One, two, three!"

She pulls as hard as she can, straining her shoulder to pull the heavy door towards her. It's a difficult thing, made all the harder by the awkward position she's in. They're barely moving the thing at all, at least not enough for either of them to fit through. And Usagi had thought elevators were supposed to be easy to open.

They give up after several moments partially because Usagi's grip slips and she nearly jolts back, almost losing her balance. The minimal distance they'd managed to open it sips shut with a soft hit. "Shit," she curses, breathing a little heavily from the scare. In a pique of frustration she rips her glove off with her teeth, fed up with the damn thing. She drops it down the elevator shaft before it occurs to her that she'll probably need that back, but oh well, she figures.

"Again," Tuxedo Mask urges her.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbles as she finds a new grip on the door. Her lack of glove makes it marginally easier. Tuxedo Mask counts to three again and Usagi tries to put more effort into it, leaning more of her weight to the side – at least as much as she dares. It steadily opens a little farther…

…and then all of a sudden the door seems to give, flooding the dark shaft with light. Usagi jumps in surprise, losing her balance almost immediately, but in the moment where her weight starts to shift backwards she recognizes Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars and realizes they must have helped, only to end up being the end of her. It's almost ironic, she thinks, as she falls backwards without any way to stop herself. Still, she reaches for her comrades even though she knows they're too far away.

Tuxedo Mask lunges forward carelessly, his arm outstretched for her own. His eyes are locked on her own and Usagi can easily read the panic in them. She stretches, their fingertips brushing, but with his momentum he quickly starts to catch up to her and grips her hand. The moment that had seemed to stretch now catches up with her as they swing down, roughly hitting the side of the shaft while her arm is yanked from the abrupt stop. She looks up, but all she can see is Tuxedo Mask looking down at her.

"Sailor Moon!" she hears Sailor Mercury shout, though it sounds tense. "We'll pull you up, just give us a second."

"Can you climb onto my back?" Tuxedo Mask asks, and he sounds strained as well. They're almost back to where they started, but at least Ami and Rei are on solid ground and there to help. Usagi doesn't feel as scared this time.

She nods, using what little arm strength she has to reach for his leg. She doesn't let go of his hand until she has a firm grip, but as soon as she does Tuxedo Mask is reaching up and Sailor Mars quickly grabs for it, leaning over Ami like she is to keep the other girl in place. Usagi can see nearly half of Ami's chest hanging over the elevator shaft. It must've been a close thing when Tuxedo Mask grabbed her.

Climbing up his back is a little awkward, but it must help him somewhat as he starts to lift himself with the two girls' help. Usagi can't really do much to help so she just watches. She has to hide her smirk in his cape when she realizes how much of a workout Ami is getting from all of this, which she's sure the genius won't appreciate, especially if she saw Usagi's expression.

They slowly work their way back up, and when they're all solidly on the floor in the mall all of them are breathing heavily – and coughing, in Rei's case – but they're all alive. "Thanks for saving my ass," Usagi says into the silence, though she's not entirely sure who she's talking to, her comrades or Tuxedo Mask.

"Someone has to," Ami grumbles, rubbing at her stomach with a wince.

She frowns. "Now I know I was talking to Tuxedo Mask," she retorts, shooting a glance at the man. He's already starting to stand, so she quickly does as well. "Wait!' she calls out, and though he pauses, she has no idea what to say next. "I had some questions for you." Ami perks up when she hears this, all of them suddenly interested in talking.

Except Tuxedo Mask just shakes his head. "Unfortunately, I can't give you the answers you want. But we'll meet again, Sailor Moon." He vanishes around the corner then, but something in Usagi tells her not to bother pursuing. Ami makes an aborted movement forward, but Usagi sticks out her arm to stop her.

"We should go after him!" she snaps in annoyance, rounding on Usagi. "This was our chance to learn something."

She merely shakes her head. "It's like he said; we'll see him again. Besides, I learned other more important things, but we can debrief tomorrow. Sailor Mars should probably be getting some rest right now," she says, turning to their final comrade. She's just barely made it to standing, strong coughing fits leaving her exceptionally weak especially after their recent struggle.

"I'm fine," she says, waving a hand dismissively. "I can get myself home. But we should go back for that girl downstairs."

Usagi's eyes widen as she suddenly remembers having left Naru down with Nephrite. "Shit," she curses, "I'll go get her." She immediately starts to run for the stairs, Ami surprisingly at her heels.

"I'll help you. We'll probably have to leave her at the hospital or something for her to sleep this off," she says as they practically jump down the stairs.

"Yeah," Usagi agrees. 'I wonder how much of tonight she'll remember,' she can't help thinking, a little concerned. Naru is already too entangled in this given her obsession with Sanjoin Masato. Usagi can't let her get any closer than that.


	23. Nephrite's Pass

_Nephrite_

"Queen Beryl, Nephrite boasted of defeating Sailor Moon, and yet he failed to kill her. Shouldn't you be sentencing him to the eternal sleep?" Zoisite complains, barely managing to keep the petulance from his tone.

Queen Beryl makes a dismissive sound from her throne, her gaze entranced by the energy he presented to her earlier. It glows a bright pink and he can sense its power as far away as he is. "This energy Nephrite brought back is incredibly powerful," she remarks. Her gaze trails up from the orb to lock onto Nephrite, dangerous amusement swirling in her gaze. "I won't punish him. This time."

"No way!" Zoisite remarks incredulously, almost forgetting himself. Nephrite smirks. He may not be getting punished tonight, but perhaps someone else will.

"I can punish Nephrite at any time," she says idly, deceptively calm. But in a moment her energy spikes, her hair flying up with the expense of her power as she snaps at Zoisite, "You should be less concerned with others and focus on finding the Legendary Silver Crystal as quickly as possible!"

Nephrite doesn't bother to hide his smug smirk as he looks back at his fellow Commander. Zoisite looks suitable chastened, hastily sketching out a bow with his reply. Queen Beryl dismisses them soon after that and Zoisite beasts a hasty retreat, no doubt to Kunzite's rooms to complaint to his partner. Nephrite doesn't bother returning to his rooms in the palace, instead heading to the lavish condo he purchased for himself in Tokyo.

He has much to think about given what happened tonight. 'That girl…' he can't help but recall, her trusting face appearing clearly in his memory. 'Everyone becomes obsessed with something and produces incredible energy at least once in their lives. I never expected that girl Naru to be capable of it so soon. But what was it she'd said…'a captive of love?'' He smirks. "What a foolish girl," he mutters.


	24. Bound in Anime

_Mizuno Ami_

Ami is just stepping out of the bookstore, having checked her watch and realized she was going to be late to their meeting, when she noticed the girl running drop one of the folders she was carrying. She blinks as they take off down the sidewalk, neither of them noticing the dropped item. Curiosity has her approaching, picking up the folder to take a peek. There's a label at the bottom proclaiming it property of Studio Dive, and an address to return it to. She shrugs and tucks the folder under her arm. She'll get to that later, or maybe have Usagi do it after the meeting she's already late to.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Tsukino Usagi_

Her ire grows the longer it takes Ami to show up at Rei's place. They've already been fed snacks and drinks – and finished them – and the blue-haired genius still has yet to show up. "Text her again, Luna," she grumbles to the cat seated adjacent to her.

"We'll give her a bit longer, Usagi-chan," she says, though her eyebrow twitches with her annoyance.

'That's fair,' Usagi thinks, given she'd had the cat text her not five minutes ago. But she's so very bored, and she really wants to tell the girls what she learned last night. Mizuno will have to eat her words when she reveals that she was right about Sanjoin Masato. If she would hurry up and get there.

Five minutes later – during which Usagi managed to convince Luna to send her another text – Ami shows up without a hint of remorse. "I had things to do," she says when Usagi pesters her about her tardiness. She sets the folder down beside her and Usagi can't help but notice it.

"What's that?"

Ami shrugs. "Don't know, haven't looked. Some girl dropped it. Hey, do you want to drop it off for me?" she asks.

Usagi gives her a look. "Maybe if you hadn't been late I'd be more inclined to help," she says, turning up her nose.

Ami rolls her eyes. "Fine. So what did you discover last night?" she asks, getting right to the point of the meeting. No sense in wasting any more time.

"Well," Usagi begins, sitting up straighter as a grin cracks across her face. "Our new enemy is named Nephrite, who confirmed himself that he is indeed Sanjoin Masato. So, not to be petty or anything, but…I told you so."

"Very mature, Usagi-chan," Luna scolds half-heartedly. Usagi doesn't let it get to her, still too proud that her intuition was right.

"Is there anything else?" Rei asks, her throat a little hoarse but at least she's not coughing anymore. "Did you get to talk to Tuxedo Mask at all?"

Usagi freezes, her mind immediately going back to their conversation the night before. 'There's a connection between the two of us…' she remembers him saying. Her smile starts to falter as she considers her question. She had definitely learned some things, but…for some reason she doesn't want to tell them about it. She's shaking her head before consciously deciding to do so. "No, we didn't really get to talk much while we were hanging for our lives," she lies. "Thanks for nearly killing me, by the way," she continues, and it distracts them as she'd hoped it would. Ami is, of course, indignant that she saved their lives, though Usagi argues that she wouldn't have had to if she hadn't knocked her off the ledge in the first place.

The meeting devolves from there, and once Luna intervenes to silence Ami and Usagi the former gets up, gathering her things in a huff before departing. Usagi doesn't stay much longer since Rei still looks like she needs a good nap, and she and Luna end up leaving not long after. Of course, Luna ends up going her own way when she says she wants to look into Sanjoin Masato herself, so Usagi ends up heading to the arcade. It is summer break, and she's got nothing better to do.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Mizuno Ami_

Ami almost entirely forgets about the folder she picked up until it's 8 PM and she's on her way back home. She looks down at the folder with mild annoyance. She could take it home and mail the damn thing, but that would require going to the post office and paying money, which is far more effort than just delivering it herself. The address doesn't seem to be too far from her place anyhow. Of course, there might not be anyone there, but she can at least leave it around or in the mail or something and someone will find it tomorrow. She's got things to do then; like hell is she going to take away that time to drop it off.

So with a sigh she starts heading back. The address puts the studio closer to the center of town, but it's not one she's familiar with. When she thinks she's close enough she has to pull out her communicator to look at the map for directions the rest of the way. It tells her there's only a couple more blocks, which she's glad to realize. This whole trip has been fucking tedious.

As she's walking, though, the loud noise of a very fancy car moving very fast comes up behind her and Ami can't help but look over disdainfully. She's of the opinion that people who drive flashy cars like that are usually compensating for something or trying to show off their wealth because they have nothing else going for them, and she's curious which this one may fall under. She doesn't see much more than a glimpse of the driver as the car flashes by, but what she does see she recognizes from the reports she'd been staring at earlier that day.

Sanjoin Masato.

A frustrated groan escapes her as she realizes this will have to take precedence over her delivery. She ducks down the nearest alleyway. "Mercury Power Make Up!" Once her transformation is complete she jumps to the rooftop and starts running in the direction Sanjoin's car had been going. It's fortunate for her it's loud because that helps her keep track of it even though she can't see it. She follows the car all the way to a quieter neighborhood where it eventually stops to idle in front of a building. It takes her a moment, but Ami places the location as the address of the studio where she'd been heading earlier herself. She waits on a nearby rooftop to watch what Sanjoin – Nephrite – does.

He gets out of the car dressed in some semi-fancy suit and top and heads inside. She activates her goggles so she can vaguely see what's going on, registering two heat signatures in the building. The other must be his new target, she assumes. They linger close to each other for a bit before she reads a minor spike in dark energy, which she assumes is Nephrite using whatever power of his that will eventually trigger his target's transformation. He doesn't stay long after that, and as he walks out of the building she catches him muttering, "All that's left is to lure the Sailor Guardians here."

For a moment she debates what she wants to do. He's stronger than her, without a doubt, so confronting him would be a spectacularly bad idea especially without Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars there with her. On the other hand, this could be an opportunity to question him about his plans. But that's if Nephrite is in a talking mood and doesn't just outright attack her.

In the end the decision is taken out of her hands as Nephrite gets into the car without ever noticing her presence. For half a moment Ami contemplates following him again, if only to see where he hides out, but the chance to see the beginnings of his latest plan is too good an opportunity to pass up. Silently she drops down to the street, her transformation fading away as she approaches the darkened studio. There's a light on inside, though she already knows there's still people there. Shifting the folder in her hands, she quickly formulates a plan and approaches.

She gently knocks on the door to draw the attention of the two girls inside, plastering a fake smile on her face when the girls turn towards her. "Hi, um, is this Studio Dive?" she asks, feigning doubt.

The girl closest to the door walks over, a hesitant smile on her face. "It is. How can I help you?" she asks politely.

She holds out the folder to the girl, explaining, "I found this on the sidewalk earlier today."

A relieved expression crosses her face as she takes the folder, opening it to peer inside. "Oh, thank you! We've been looking all over for these. They're very important."

Ami turns up the smile. "It's no problem," she says.

The girl's companion walks up behind her, a bland expression on her face, and the girl turns to her with a smile. "Ah, Hiromi, you should thank her. She found the pages you lost earlier." But the other girl doesn't seem to hear a word she says, walking straight into the room beside them and closing the door with a firm click. The girl before Ami grimaces and immediately starts making excuses. "Sorry, she just has a lot of work to do, so she's sort of out of it…" she chuckles nervously. "Oh, you should come around again!" she suggest brightly. "I'd like to show you around as a way of saying thanks."

She looks so expectant, Ami knows she's going to end up agreeing. She doesn't want to, but if anything perhaps she can turn the venture into an opportunity to study Hiromi, since she's clearly Nephrite's next target. Perhaps she can distract her with Usagi and Rei's presences while she scans things. She smiles pleasantly at her. "Sure, I'd love to," she says with fake cheer.

"Wonderful!" the girl beams, though Ami sees her gaze cut to the side to where Hiromi vanished into the other room.

"Well, I ought to get going now," Ami says, quickly making her excuses so she can finally head home. She'll have to write up a report for the others and she doesn't want to linger here any longer than necessary. The girl introduces herself as Tadashita Kazuko, Ami doing the same, and they briefly make plans to meet up the next day before Ami is finally able to leave.

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About an hour before she'd planned to meet up with Tadashita she sends out a text to the other girls asking them to meet up at a nearby café so she could tell them her plan for her upcoming investigation. She was pleased when both of them, plus Luna, showed up almost exactly on time. She gestured for them to join her at the outdoor table she'd claimed earlier.

"So you already know who the next target is?" Usagi asks, her voice lowered since they're outside and people are still wandering by.

Ami nods. "Her name is Matsuno Hiromi and she's an animator at Studio Dive, who's currently working on the new Sailor V anime."

"Are you sure?" Luna asks, her head just poking over the table from where she sits in Usagi's lap.

"Very sure," Ami confirms. "I watched Nephrite trigger the activation myself."

All three of their eyes widen in surprise at hearing that. "You did what?" Usagi exclaims loud enough to draw the attention of some nearby people.

"Ami-chan," Luna scolds, "you should have been more careful. What if Nephrite had seen you and challenged you to a fight? You should have called us for backup."

"Nephrite didn't notice a thing," she said dismissively, taking a nonchalant sip of her strawberry smoothie. "And now we have the perfect opportunity to monitor her for any changes."

"How?" Rei pipes up.

Ami grins. "That folder I found last night happened to belong to Studio Dive, and after returning it Hiromi's friend Kazuko invited me to come back to watch them for a bit as thanks."

Usagi's eyes widen in excitement as she realizes exactly what that means. "We're gonna get to go to the studio where they're making Sailor V?! That's awesome."

"We'll be there working, Usagi-chan," Luna is quick to tell her, lest she grow too enthusiastic. "You won't have time to fool around."

The blonde teen pouts, leaning back in her chair. "Yeah, yeah, Luna, I know," she grumbles.

"It'll still be interesting, I think," Rei says. "When are you going to the studio?" she then asks Ami.

She checks her watch. "Ten or so minutes. We should probably start walking. It's a little ways away from here."

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When they arrive at the studio Usagi and Rei are immediately distracted with the animators and their work, though Ami makes sure to keep an eye on Matsuno…only the girl isn't there. A quick glance around the workspace shows the girl isn't anywhere. While Tadashita and another animator are busy with Usagi's questions she discreetly taps Rei's shoulder to grab her attention. The quiet girl looks over at her with an eyebrow quirked and Ami quickly whispers, "Do you still sense an evil presence here?"

Her eyes close as she concentrates, her brow furrowing briefly. Ami's eyes flit across the room in the meantime, though she can't sense a thing. She'd been trying to figure out what her comrades were talking about when they mentioned sensing evil presences, but Ami just couldn't get it. She didn't feel a thing, bad or good, and it was a bit of a disappointment. It rankled in her mind that there was something she couldn't understand that Usagi and Rei could, but at least she had her minicomputer to make up for it instead of having to rely on one of them. But at times like this she can admit it is much quicker and slightly less conspicuous.

"Yes," Rei finally replies, opening her eyes. Her gaze immediately zeroes in on a closed door towards the entrance of the studio. "She's in there."

Ami nods to show she understood. "We need to draw her out," she decides. "Can you try to act a little more enthusiastic about all this? If we cause enough of a ruckus she might come out."

Rei's eyes widen in surprise. "Are you gonna try and trigger her transformation here?" she whispers urgently.

The girl who'd invited Ami has started shooting curious glances towards them and Ami knows they can't talk much longer without drawing suspicions. "If we can trigger it early she might not be as tough as normal. Go," she quickly explains before gently nudging Rei back towards Usagi, who's already doing well when it comes to the fangirling. Then she turns her attention to Tadashita. "So…" she starts awkwardly, anxiously looking for something to talk about. "Your friend from last night, she's not here?"

She grimaces in her seat across from Ami. "She is, but she's been a little…intense lately, so she's working in the quiet room right now."

"Is she okay?" Ami asks, feigning concern. "Did something happen recently?"

"I don't know," Tadashita answers with a slight shake of her head. "She's only been like this for a day or so. I'd say it was stress from this movie, but she's done a lot of work for her scenes so I'm really not sure."

Ami's about to press for more information when a door suddenly slams open, startling several people though Usagi seems unfazed. Matsuno storms out of the quiet room heading straight for her companions who were just gushing over an animator's drawings. Her expression is stormy as she regards the two girls. "Can you two shut up?!" she snaps, startling both Usagi and Rei with her intensity. "Can't you see we're trying to work here? Keep the noise down! It's distracting me."

"Hiromi!" Tadashita scolds, though her protest goes unheard by the other girl.

"We're sorry," Rei immediately apologizes, clearly cowed by the other girl. Usagi has a stubborn glint in her eye, and though she doesn't apologize she has quieted down. 'At least she knows better than to go starting fights with civilians,' Ami thinks.

Tadashita, however, doesn't seem afraid of confronting Matsuno as she stands from her seat to approach the other girl, a stern expression on her face as she meets Matsuno's impassive one. "Hiromi, that's no way to talk to our fans. They just came to show their support."

Matsuno lets out a derisive snort. "They're probably just here for cel drawings and autographs."

"That's not true!" Tadashita argues. "They've been perfectly polite. But you –"

Whatever she's about to say next is interrupted by the phone ringing. Most of the animators turn to look at the sound, though Matsuno is the one who approaches to answer. Unfortunately, they can only hear her side of the conversation though Ami assumes it must be the director on the other end, given how closely everyone is watching Matsuno. After a moment listening to the other person talk, she suddenly smirks. "While I have you on the phone…" she begins, "in the last scene, I think I'm going to kill off Sailor V!"

Ami's pretty sure that everyone in the office can hear the director's reaction to that. Immediately whispers break out amongst some of the animators, and even Usagi and Rei share glance. She approaches her friends while Matsuno expounds on her reasoning for doing so. Ami listens with half an ear, but she doesn't need to know what Matsuno was like before to know that what she's saying is a bit off for her. Ranting about darkness and death…it fits with the abnormal behavior other targets had displayed.

"Is this what you were hoping for?" Rei whispers to Ami when she's joined them. She nods. "I can sense the turmoil of energy within her rising."

"Not long now then, I expect," she remarks, watching Tadashita and Matsuno argue back and forth about anime. Finally the other girl storms off, and Ami shares a look with her companions. There's a clamor from the animators who are clearly upset with Matsuno, but Tadashita holds them off before following after Matsuno herself. With a nod of her head, Ami leads the other girls to follow as well.

Outside on the street, there's no sign of where Matsuno went, but it's not enough to fool Rei's senses as she immediately spots the other girl up on the roof. Tadashita immediately rushes off to follow, though Ami would've preferred to keep her out of this, and they have no choice but to follow. When they get to the roof Matsuno stands opposite them, her aura bright around her.

"Hiromi…" Tadashita pleads, clearly confused by everything that's happening.

"Kazuko, you think you're better than me," Matsuno sneers. Tadashita tries to protest but Matsuno keeps speaking over her. "You let it go to your head just because you've got some talent. But now I'm the one who's inspired. I've surpassed you, as long as I have this pencil!" She holds a pencil aloft in her hands and Ami knows this is the object Nephrite corrupted to start this whole process – and oddly enough, she notices, Kazuko seems to recognize it.

It starts to glow, the blue and pink stripes around the pencil standing out brightly in the night before they slide right off the pencil and take form over Matsuno's prone body. There's two of them this time, one shades of red while the other is shades of blue. They have matching cropped tops and bikini skirts in their respective colors, the cut and style of the clothing mirroring one another. Ami doesn't need to be a genius to know they're a matching set, which means they're likely more powerful than any of the monsters they've faced yet – the only question is whether they should be considered more powerful because they're together, or because individually they're stronger monsters. Either way, she knows they need to be extra careful.

Tadashita gasps in shock before immediately fainting. Ami shrugs her reaction off. At least now they won't have to worry about her seeing them transform. "Perhaps we ought to transform now?" Usagi suggests, and both Ami and Rei nod in agreement.

"Moon Prism Power Make Up!" "Mercury Power Make Up!" "Mars Power!"

Usagi steps forward once they've all changed. "I won't let you get away with trashing this great anime!" she declares, and Ami barely resists the urge to roll her eyes. "I am Sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon I'll punish you!"

"In the name of Mercury, douse yourself in water and repent!" Ami chimes in.

"And in the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!" Rei adds.

The monsters flash identical smirks as they regard the Sailor Guardians. "Let's see…" the red one begins.

"…If you can win against us?" the blue one finishes. "See this?" she says, and they step apart and turn to reveal their long tails tied together. "The two of us are tied together by fate. In other words…"

"…you people cannot defeat us!"

Ami narrows her eyes on their tied tails, activating her goggles just to be sure of their claims. "I don't think I need to tell you guys that we need to split them up," she mutters to her companions.

"Obviously," Sailor Moon mutters. "My tiara might work."

Ami has her doubts about that, given the tiara has yet to be effective on its first strike, but before she can voice her concern the red monster gets into position to attack and Ami's attention is drawn. She can't help but note the position is similar to the one Sailor Mars takes when using her Fire Soul…and her suspicion is confirmed a moment later when the monster unleashes an attack remarkably similar to Sailor Mars' own.

They split apart as they dodge, Ami scooping up Tadashita's unconscious body as she rolls to the side to protect the girl at the cost of minor burns to her arm. She grits her teeth in an attempt to block the pain and takes a brief look. It's barely a 2nd degree burn – there's only minor blistering, though the shoulder of her uniform is ruined – so Ami is confident that she can keep going with minimal problem. Luckily Usagi and Rei have taken the opportunity to try and distract them, giving her time to calm herself and place Tadashita in a spot where they hopefully won't have to worry any further about her.

Looking back at the fight, Ami immediately notices that her comrades are having a hard time keeping up with the monsters' attacks. The two keep alternating attacks – the blue one launches ice shards, and given the red's almost identical attack to Mars, it makes her wonder whether she can do something like that as well, but that's a problem for another day – giving Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars no chance to pause and gather themselves. While she's still relatively unwatched, Ami does the one thing she's confident she can do: "Mercury Bubble Spray!"

She doesn't know how long the fog will last if these monsters really are capable of replicating their moves so she can only hope her comrades are taking advantage of the respite, no matter how brief. With her goggles she can make out the monsters and her comrades' positions, Rei and Usagi relatively close to where the blue monster stands while the red is midway between Ami on the opposite side of the roof from her friends, possibly looking for her.

All of a sudden she hears a noise not unlike the sound of skin hitting skin, and she has a brief horrifying thought that someone – probably Usagi – just flat out punched one of the monsters. But sure enough, through her goggles she can make out one of the monsters stumbling back with a pained noise right before it's yanked forward again with a startled cry. There's an inarticulate noise of anger from the other before the fog vanishes unnaturally fast as the area heats uncomfortably. In the next moment Ami assesses the situation – Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars look to be grappling with the blue monster, who's down on the ground with most of Sailor Mars' weight pinning her down – and before she consciously realizes the other monster is about to attack she's charging forward, throwing her own weight at its turned back. The move pushes it a bit further away from its pair, straining their connected tails so they both let out pained yelps, their forms taught.

Ami will be the first to admit she's not the strongest of girls, even with the unnatural strength granted to her as Sailor Mercury, but she is quite the quick thinker and she knows that if she can keep the tension on their tails the monsters will have a harder time fighting back against being pinned. If they can't fight back, then Sailor Moon will have an easy shot with her tiara. Unless they release each other's tail, which would be the most logical move, in Ami's opinion, but if her assumption about their combined power is correct then it would leave the monsters weaker, which is also a good thing for them.

They must have some sense of self preservation, or perhaps they aren't as tied by fate as they led the Guardians to believe because a moment later Ami is suddenly rolled as she overbalances, falling on her bad shoulder with a cry of pain as the tension in the monster's tail that she'd been bracing against is gone. "Pollux!" the monster underneath her screams, momentarily distracted by her companion abruptly releasing her tail. Ami jumps back at the monster – 'Castor?' she wonders, reminded of the mythical pair – forcing it into the ground with her weight but the monster has nothing holding her back now and it turns into a proper scuffle.

She's pushed back, something hard – its forehead – cracking into her nose and Ami immediately knows it's broken. The monster lunges over her, wrapping its hands around her throat. The temperature at her throat starts to rise as the monster channels its fire power into its hands, and Ami knows that if her companions don't intervene soon she's going to have hand-shaped burns on her neck.

But Usagi and Rei must be having an easier time of it against Pollux because she soon hears Usagi's voice cry out, "Moon Tiara Action!" A scream of pain follows, and the monster at Ami's neck is distracted enough by her partner's demise that her grip loosens just slightly enough that Ami finds the strength to break her grip completely and buck her off. "Again, Moon Tiara Action!"

Ami has to shield her eyes at the sudden bright light inches in front of her as the monster is obliterated, but once the dust settles next to her she slumps over from exhaustion and pain. She has no idea what state her companions are in right now, but she feels utterly beat. "Sailor Mercury?" she hears Rei ask, her heels clicking on the tile as she approaches.

"I'm alive," she rasps in reply, her throat a little sore. She brings her uninjured arm up to idly rub at it, concentrating just enough to heal the slight burns – nothing like her shoulder – away. She knows she needs to take care of that as well – rubbing the blister on the cold tile simultaneously soothes it and aggravates it painfully – and she finds herself reluctant.

"Do you need help with that?" Usagi asks, concern evident in her voice.

Ami opens her eyes, quickly scanning her two comrades for injuries, but she can't find anything more major than some scrapes and bruises and decides they're perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. "Just a moment."

"You may not have one," Usagi replies. "What's her face looks like she's about to wake up, and we should get out of here."

"Fuck," Ami groans, "fine, help me up and we'll go somewhere else. This isn't going to be quick." Usagi bends to get Ami's good arm around her shoulder and heave her up so she's at least standing, and once she's got her feet underneath her Rei carefully wraps an arm around Ami's waist, taking extra caution to avoid her shoulder.

"We can head to the Shrine," Rei suggests. "It's closer than your place and you can stay the night if you need to." Ami almost bemoans going so far but quickly holds back any complaints. If she can tackle a monster with the shoulder she can endure a couple of minutes of travel. With a nod she silently agrees and the girls quickly get to moving before the two animators awaken.

* * *

Author's Note: I apologize if there's any glaring errors in there, we've caught up to stuff I'd written previously so I was trying to get this done today and I probably didn't go back and edit as thoroughly as usual. But I'll fix it later.


	25. Zoisite's Stolen Chance

Author's Note: Make sure you've read Chapter 24 before you read this one. (Y'all this is technically the halfway point, chapter-wise :D).

* * *

_Nephrite_

When he senses the energies of Castor and Pollux vanish he grits his teeth in anger. 'They were supposed to be my strongest!' he thinks, chucking the cup of tea he'd been drinking clear across the room. "I underestimated those Sailor Guardians," he grits out to the empty flat. "I will get my chance to defeat those damn brats!" Without another moment to spare he teleports to the Dark Kingdom. He's well aware Queen Beryl is holding a briefing for Zoisite's next mission, but he's determined not to let that airheaded nuisance of a comrade take his opportunity.

He appears feet away from his fellow Commander, just as he says, "I will look into that."

"No," Nephrite interjects, "let me handle this task."

"Nephrite, don't you dare!" Zoisite snaps. "Finding the Legendary Silver Crystal is my job."

"And Earth is my responsibility," he retorts. "Therefore I will look into it." It being the potential appearance of the Legendary Silver Crystal at an upcoming ball in Tokyo. He'd heard the reports from some lower monsters and he wasn't about to let Zoisite take the glory or the opportunity to defeat the Sailor Guardians.

"Nephrite," Queen Beryl says, finally acknowledging his presence, "if the Kingdom of Diamonds does indeed have the Legendary Silver Crystal, we could revive our great ruler with the Crystal's power. The Dark Kingdom would rule this world!"

"But my Queen," Zoisite tries to interject, but the witch keeps speaking as if he never spoke at all.

"What is your plan, Nephrite?" she asks.

He shoots a glance at the Commander beside him, well aware of the other's competitive and petty nature. He mentally snorts. As if he'd give the other the chance to steal it or interfere. "I have my own way of doing things," he says instead. "You'll just have to watch and find out." He teleports out of the throne room after that, knowing his words will more than likely anger Queen Beryl. But she has given him permission to take Zoisite's place, so he's confident she won't reprimand him. Yet.

.

_Zoisite _

Zoisite suppresses the twitch that wants to act up from Nephrite's impertinence. "My Queen," Zoisite pleads again with Queen Beryl, "Nephrite has continuously failed to gather energy and kill those Sailor Guardians. He can't be trusted to handle a situation as delicate as this."

She replies with a devious smirk that chills Zoisite. "Because he knows he's in a tight position. He has to succeed, or the consequences will be dire."

"But –" he tries one last time, but her patience must finally have run out for Queen Beryl snaps, "Silence, Zoisite! I tire of your jealousy. Should Nephrite fail your time will come. Now leave!" He knows better than to push the Queen any further and does as she wishes immediately.

He teleports to his rooms but doesn't linger for very long, leaving them to head to his partner's just down the hall. The door opens silently to a dimly lit room, though Zoisite knows Kunzite is there. He confidently makes his way inside to where he knows his lover is seated in the shadows. "Oh Kunzite," he moans, falling to kneel at Kunzite's side. "I despise Nephrite."

A large hand comes to gently rest at the back of his head, stroking lightly. It immediately soothes his ire to simmering annoyance. "Patience, Zoisite," his lover's deep voice says. "Rewards will come to those who wait. Nephrite's time will come when we are through with him. For now, let's just watch and see what he does."


	26. A Princess's Worth

_Tsukino Usagi_

"There sure are a lot of cops on the streets today," Usagi remarks idly as she walks home from the Hikawa Shrine. After Ami healed herself she ended up crashing then and there, and Rei had offered to let Usagi stay as well since she was already there. Usagi had taken her up on the offer, but come the next morning her old phone had almost half a dozen calls from Miharu-san, which was never a good thing so she figured it would be best to leave as soon as possible.

Luna accompanies her, and though Usagi hadn't really been talking to the cat she replies anyways. "Princess D, from the Kingdom of Diamonds, is visiting Tokyo this week."

"The Kingdom of Diamonds…?" Usagi mutters, trying to recall anything about the kingdom. She knows it's not very large, one of those countries squished between the coast and China or South Korea or something.

"They're one of the world's largest precious-stone producing countries," Luna says, and Usagi can hear the exasperation clear in her voice. "Apparently their legendary secret treasure is going to be on exhibition at a dinner party later tonight, for the first time in the world."

"Fascinating," Usagi mutters, though her tone implies she thinks it's anything but.

"Usagi-chan," Luna scolds. "This isn't something you should dismiss so quickly. Don't forget that part of your role as a Sailor Guardian is to find and protect the Moon Princess."

Usagi glances over to give the cat an unimpressed look. "And what, you think this Princess D is the Moon Princess we're looking for?"

"It's possible," Luna says emphatically. "She does possess a legendary treasure, which could be the Legendary Silver Crystal."

"I doubt it," Usagi says dismissively.

"You don't know for sure," Luna argues.

Usagi huffs, annoyed, and pauses at the doorstep of her house to tell Luna, "And you can't assume that just because she's a princess she's _our_ princess. Now, time to act like a normal cat." She takes a moment to steel herself for whatever punishment her parents will give her for staying out all night before entering the house.

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It turns out her parents aren't home that Thursday, and the reason Miharu-san called so many times was just that she was worried for Usagi. She apologized, telling the housekeeper that she'd just spent the night at a friend's, and after a light scolding about calling she's free. Just as Usagi is debating whether or not to take a nap, she gets a call on her mobile. At first she's surprised the thing is even charged, given she's taken to using her communicator for everything, but she quickly gets over that to answer it. "Hello?"

_"Usagi-san?"_ she hears, and it takes her a moment to place the voice as Osaka Naru's.

"Hey, Naru-san, what's up?"

_"Um…are you…do you wanna meet up for lunch?"_ the other girl haltingly asks. It makes Usagi's brows furrow in concern. There's just something about her classmate that sounds…off. She agrees before really even deciding whether she wants to meet up with the girl or not.

"Sure, I can do that. Crown Parlor?" she suggests.

_"Yeah, that's fine. I'll see you soon, Usagi-san."_ Without another word the phone clicks as she hangs up, leaving Usagi to wonder what that was really about.

"What did she want, Usagi-chan?" Luna asks, her head cocked to the side curiously.

Usagi shrugs, absently standing to change her clothes into something fresher before she leaves. "Naru-san wants to talk."

She doesn't need to see the cat to hear the disappointment in her tone. "You should be focusing on this upcoming ball."

"Just because you think it's important doesn't mean it actually is," Usagi retorts. "We can talk about it with Ami and Rei-chan later. I need to talk to Naru-san. If this is about Sanjoin Masato…" she trails off. She hadn't had the chance to see Naru after the whole fake Tuxedo Mask incident, what with school out for summer break, so she had no idea how she was faring from the whole thing. Hell, she had no clue what happened before she showed up, and by then Naru was already unconscious.

With her mind made up she left her room to head to the café, throwing a parting, "I'll see you and the others later, Luna," to the cat as she went. She didn't linger to hear her response.

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By the time Usagi arrives at the Crown Parlor Naru is already there sipping at a cream soda. "Hey," Usagi says, giving the other girl a cheery smile she doesn't entirely feel. There's something…somber about Naru's expression, and it's reflected in the way she replies. "Is everything okay?" Usagi asks, taking her seat.

Naru looks down at the table. "Not really," she admits. Usagi doesn't need Ami's intelligence to know this is definitely about Sanjoin Masato.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Usagi presses. She has to know what happened before she arrived at the mall three nights ago.

Her classmate shrugs. "I'm not even really sure there is anything to talk about." She pauses, evidently gathering her thoughts and Usagi lets her do so. She orders her own drink in the meantime, waiting for the other girl to finally speak her mind. Eventually she admits, "I went to the MS mall to meet Tuxedo Mask."

Usagi blinks slowly and tries not to let it show that she already knew that. "Oh," she says instead, hoping she sounds curious enough. "Sakurada-sensei warned us not to," she says, forcing exasperation into her tone without trying to make it seem like she's scolding the other girl. If she gets her upset she'll never admit to what happened.

Luckily enough, Naru only seems to feel sheepish about disobeying their teacher's instruction. "I know. But I had to know if it was Sanjoin-sama or not."

"And was it…?" Usagi presses.

She hesitates, but then Naru slowly nods. "I knew it immediately," she whispers. "Mask or not, I'll always know Sanjoin-sama."

Usagi is hard-pressed to hide her horror about this whole situation. 'Not good, not good, not good,' is all she can think, too worried about Naru getting entangled in things she has no business being in to properly reply to the girl's admission. Naru doesn't seem to notice either way, on a roll now that she's finally speaking.

"I even told him I love him!" Naru flushes brightly, to Usagi's incredulous stare. "But then he got all weird," she continues, her expression darkening slightly. "He asked me to transform into Sailor Moon. Well, demanded, really, but I don't know why he thought I would be her."

"Yeah," Usagi forces out a chuckle, "that would be weird."

"You don't think, maybe…they're enemies," Naru asks. "I just – Sailor Moon saved me, you know, back when some monster tried to rob my mom's store. She seems so good, I can't imagine her fighting with Sanjoin-sama."

"I –" Usagi begins, but then falters, wondering how much she could give away. "I don't think they're fighting," she finally says. "Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask aren't enemies." 'At least, not with the real Tuxedo Mask,' she mentally adds.

Naru sighs, apparently satisfied with Usagi's agreement. "I just don't know what to think, Usagi-san. I don't know what Sanjoin-sama wants from me." Her head hangs dejectedly for a moment. "I don't even know how to contact him."

Usagi is silent for a moment, trying to quickly think of how to dissuade her from ever seeing him again. It won't be easy, given how attached she is to him – she admitted to loving him! – but she has to try, for her sake. "Perhaps…it would be better if you didn't." Naru immediately frowns, and Usagi hurries to explain so the girl won't outright dismiss her. "I'm just saying this because they're probably involved in dangerous things, and you don't want to get in the middle of that. I mean, look at what happened when you were robbed."

Her expression loses some of its heat, but she doesn't seem too dissuaded. "I know, but if I can I want to help Sanjoin-sama." Usagi's hand twitches as she struggles not to slap a hand to her forehead because of Naru's stubbornness.

"Well, if you're so dead set on it," Usagi concedes, and she can't believe she's saying this, "then it might be safer for you to wait for him to contact you first." Internally though, she's desperately hoping Nephrite won't ever bother with her again. He knows she isn't Sailor Moon, so he has no reason to involve her anymore unless he enjoys playing with her emotions, and she hopes that isn't the case.

"You think he will?" Naru asks, her expression brightening exponentially from before. Usagi is almost taken aback, but she manages a half-hearted shrug. "I hope so," Naru sighs dreamily. "Hey, you think he'll be at that ball at the Kingdom of Diamond's embassy?"

"I…don't know?" Usagi replies.

"I'm going, you know," Naru continues. Seeing Usagi's surprise, she elaborates. "My mom owns a jewelry shop so we got a special invitation, and I'm going in her place because she's got a date planned for tonight. Oh, I hope he shows up. It would be so romantic if we could get to dance at a fancy ball."

"Yeah."

Naru goes on to gush about the dress she'd purchased just for the dance and Usagi listens with half a mind. Her communicator vibrates in her pocket and she surreptitiously pulls it out underneath the table. There's a text from Rei – well, Luna, using Rei's phone – about a meeting at the shrine in a couple of hours. Usagi already knows what the cat wants to talk about and she isn't looking forward to it, but she can't avoid it any longer.

She chats with Naru for a bit longer, in no rush to head to Hikawa Shrine, and the girl isn't half-bad company anyways. She only ever really talks with Ami and Rei-chan, and it's mostly about Guardian stuff. Usagi doesn't really consider herself the type of girl to gush over dresses and shoes, but the change is nice and Naru is more interesting than she'd given her credit for. Perhaps they really are friends.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Three hours later, when the four of them are gathered at Rei's shrine that afternoon and Ami agrees with Usagi's argument, she feels justifiably smug. "Just because they share a title doesn't mean they're the same person," Ami says matter-of-factly. "And unless you have more evidence than that for this theory, we have no reason to even consider it." They look at the cat expectantly.

"Well, I don't…" she admits, looking at the ground.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, like with us?" Usagi asks.

Luna shakes her head. "I'd have to actually meet her to feel something like that, but even so I doubt I'd feel anything at all, anyways. The seal on the princess's powers is much stronger than the ones on yours."

"Is it because she's the princess?" Rei asks.

"That, and because she's supposed to be in possession of the Legendary Silver Crystal," Luna adds.

Usagi makes an aborted movement. "You mentioned that earlier, the Legendary Silver Crystal. What is it?"

At that question Luna turns oddly serious. "It's a resource of unlimited power. If enemies get it, it would be a catastrophe. Our princess will be in danger."

"Do you think we could track that, if it's a source of power?" Ami asks, looking vaguely interested. But Luna shakes her head.

"It will be hidden just as well, if not better, than the princess."

"That's so unhelpful," Usagi groans. "How are we supposed to find them if they've got these seals on their powers? It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"That's not as hard as you'd think it is," Ami interjects. "I believe the more apt phrase would be, looking for a needle in a stack of needles. That's far closer to what this seems to be." Usagi scowls.

"For now," Luna says. "But when all the Sailor Guardians are awake the seal will be broken, and then we will know where the Legendary Silver Crystal is. However, I still think it would be in our best interest to see this Princess D."

"I thought we already established that she probably isn't the Moon Princess," Ami retorts.

"Even so, it's better to be safe than sorry," Luna insists. "If we go to the ball, we can confirm whether or not she is the princess once and for all."

Ami shakes her head. "I think it's a waste of time. How are even supposed to get into the party?"

Luna looks expectantly at Usagi, who meets her look with a confused one of her own. "What do you expect me to do, steal an invitation?" she asks incredulously.

"No, Usagi-chan," Luna says with a roll of her eyes. "Your disguise pen, remember?"

"Well, yeah, that'll take care of my costume," she says. "But they aren't going to let me in just because I look like I'm dressed for the party."

"We could sneak in," Rei suggests, and the three look at her. "What?"

"Why are you actually considering this?" Ami asks incredulously. "It's a waste of time."

She shrugs amicably. "Luna might be wrong, but she might be right, too, and if so we should be prepared. Besides, we know the Dark Kingdom is trying to gather energy, and if they're aware of what the Legendary Silver Crystal is then there's a chance they might be after it as well."

She looks at her two fellow Guardians in turn, and unbidden Naru's words echo through Usagi's head. ''Hey, you think he'll be at that ball at the Kingdom of Diamond's embassy?'

"If Luna made the connection between the Legendary Silver Crystal and this legendary treasure of the Kingdom of Diamonds, don't you think our enemies might make it as well? If they try to attack, we'll already be there to intercept them."

Ami's eyes narrow as she considers Rei's words. After several minutes she finally lets out a displeased sigh. "Fine. I can agree with Rei-chan that, should the enemy attack, it would be better if we were already there. But that still poses an issue of how we're actually getting inside the party.

"Well that's easy," Rei says, drawing their attention back. "We sneak in," she shrugs. Her suggestion is met with blank stares.

"What do you mean?" Usagi asks.

"The security at the embassy will be exceptionally thorough given the visiting royalty," Ami points out.

"But we're Sailor Guardians. We aren't normal teenagers, not by far," Rei reminds her. "We can leap to the tops of buildings and traverse the city solely by rooftop. I think sneaking inside won't be as hard for us as it would be for anyone else."

"That is true," Usagi admits. It's not something she really noticed when she was doing it, but the things she's capable of while transformed into Sailor Moon are far greater than what any normal person should be capable of. To have it so blatantly pointed out makes them seem so much…more than she actually feels. "Rei-chan has a point."

Ami looks between the two of them, an incredulous expression on her face. "You're both insane," she remarks.

Usagi shrugs. "It's our best chance, really."

.

_Chiba Mamoru_

He knows he's dreaming. This foggy courtyard is a place he's been several times before, and though he can't see much the place has a familiar feeling he knows instinctively. He walks forward, because where else is he to go, when a high voice rings out through the fog. "The Legendary Silver Crystal…Find the Legendary Silver Crystal…"

He looks towards the voice, and through the clouded air he can just barely make out a thin figure in a billowing dress, though the details are indistinguishable. He knows that figure too. She's a recurring character in these dreams as well. "What is the Legendary Silver Crystal?" he asks, as he always does. He has yet to receive an answer. She either runs away when he tries to approach, or Mamoru wakes up.

This time it's the latter. He sits up abruptly in bed, the wind coming through an open window blowing his curtains wide open. Despite the cool air he's sweating through his t-shirt, and Mamoru slumps over, resting his head in his hands. "That damn dream again…I have to find that crystal."

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

Four hours later, after evening has fallen, the trio stands atop a nearby building overlooking the foreign embassy. Even from their distance they can see well-dressed people streaming into the building. Of course, from their vantage point it's also easy to pick out the numerous security guards watching the entrances and patrolling the perimeter.

"Do you have a plan, Mercury?" Usagi asks. They transformed before leaving the Hikawa Shrine, and now their smartest Guardian has her goggles on as she finds them a place to sneak into.

"I think so," she says moments later, the goggles disappearing to wherever they came from. Mercury points to one of the corners of the building. "There. The patrol leaves it unguarded for almost three minutes, and there's a service door that'll get us into the building."

"We'll have to be quick," Mars mutters.

Usagi nods in agreement. "On your signal then."

They wait a couple more minutes until Mercury gives them the go ahead and as one they leap off the building to the area she designated before. 'Rei definitely has a point about us not being normal,' Usagi thinks as they fly through the air, the wind whipping her twin pigtails all around. She shudders to think of the tangles she'll have to brush out when this is over. Moments later, they land soundlessly on the ground before quickly moving on. When they're finally inside all three of them breathe a sigh of relief.

"Now on to the fun part," Usagi mutters as they drop their Guardian transformations. From inside her hoodie pocket she draws the disguise pen. "Moon Power! Change us into…princesses at a masquerade ball!" She tosses the pen into the air, and from it emanates a warm light not unlike their transformations. When it dissipates all three of them are wearing dresses, with matching masks covering their eyes.

"Do you remember the plan?" Ami asks as they start walking towards the main hall where the party is being held.

"You and I are going to look for the princess and see if we can figure out if she's the Moon Princess, and Usagi-chan will head to the ballroom and keep an eye out for any enemies," Rei answers. Usagi nods.

The trio stops outside the main doors where they can barely hear the music. Ami gives Usagi a serious look. "Try not to get distracted by a handsome boy or something. We're supposed to be working," she sternly reminds her.

Usagi rolls her eyes as she replies, "Yeah yeah, I know." If anything is likely to distract her, it'll be her worry for Naru, she thinks, but she doesn't tell Ami that. After one last look her companions depart for the stair case around the corner. Usagi watches them go for a moment before stepping up to the large double doors. She takes a breath to steel her nerves and then pulls them open. Hardly anyone pays her any attention as she walks in, trying to project an air of confidence she barely feels.

The room is full but not too packed, with people mingling in the corners while others waltz around in the center of the room. The atmosphere seems pleasantly light, not hint of evil wrongdoings anywhere, and Usagi isn't too sure what to do with herself. She spies some ladies nearby standing with drinks in their hands, and then promptly decides to get one for herself, and maybe she'll spot Naru hanging around somewhere in the room too.

.

_Nephrite_

'Well, well,' Nephrite thinks, spotting a familiar figure standing at the side of the room. 'Osaka Naru…' he recalls, thinking of the girl who confessed her love just a couple nights ago. 'Perhaps she can be of use again.' He walks over to the girl, pasting a smile on his face as he steps up before her. "Miss, would you give me the honor of a dance?" he says with a bow, holding out a hand for her to take.

She looks surprised for all of a second before she recognizes him even with the mask on his face. "Sanjoin-sama," she says breathlessly, taking his hand in the same breath.

"Are you here alone?" he asks. "I'll admit, I didn't expect to see you here. Come, I'd love to dance with you." He doesn't give her much of a choice, using his grip to pull her closer to him as he leads her to the dance floor.

"Oh, Sanjoin-sama," she gasps, flushing brightly from his proximity.

He can see in her eyes how enchanted with him, and he sneers internally. 'So easily fooled with flowery words and false praise. Yes, I think she'll serve me well.'

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

Usagi nearly spits out her drink when she finally spots Naru – on the dance floor with Nephrite. "Shit," she curses under her breath, startling the older woman standing next to her. She shoots the lady a look, uncaring of how "uncouth" she may seem. The woman leaves, anyhow, leaving Usagi to watch her friend undisturbed.

That is, until a man suddenly steps backwards, forcing Usagi to quickly sidestep to avoid a collision, only to cause another. Her arm glances off another woman's passing by and she spins, blurting out a quick, "Sorry!" The woman excuses her and carries on, but Usagi can't help noticing that there's now a sizeable stain across the bottom of her skirt. "Shit," she curses again under her breath, her eyes scanning about for a quiet place to hide in. She heads back into the hallway to look there – and to avoid anyone seeing her ruined dress – and once she's out of sight she frantically pats at her pockets. "Handkerchief, where'd my damn handkerchief go?"

It's nowhere to be found and Usagi lets out a disappointed sigh. Her dress is ruined, or soon to be. There's no way she'll be caught dancing in a stained dress like this. 'So much for enjoying the party,' she thinks glumly, moving further down the hall and away from the ballroom.

.

_Tuxedo Mask_

He peeks around the corner at the door where he knows the Princess of the Kingdom of Diamonds is residing. There are two guards out front, though that's not a big deal. He's almost getting ready to break in when he catches sight of movement from the corner of his eye, and the figure seems familiar enough that he turns to look. There's a girl, and from his brief glance she looks almost exactly like the girl from his dreams.

Abruptly the scenery from his dream flashes across his vision, the girl's silhouette backlit by some light to give her slightly better definition. Before he can talk himself out of it he's leaving the legendary treasure to follow the girl through the halls. She vanishes into a room for several moments, and while he waits outside he can't help but wonder what the hell he's doing. The treasure was right there, and yet he left it for some girl! Angry, he abandons his hiding spot to return to the princess's room, only to get sidetracked by a new group of guards heading that way as well, forcing him to detour back to the ballroom. This was not how this evening was supposed to be going!

He lingers around the edges of the room, biding his time until he can attempt to head back for the legendary treasure, when he spots the girl again. She's hanging back by one of the stone pillars lining the room, clutching self-consciously at a part of her dress that he can see is a little damp. But that isn't what really strikes him. Now that he can plainly see her he immediately recognizes her, even with the mask over her eyes. The twin blonde pigtails are very distinctive, and the only other person he knows with that trait is his sometimes-comrade Sailor Moon. She's almost the spitting image of the feisty young fighter.

He begins to make his way over to her. He knows he already admitted to a connection between them, and he'll concede to himself that, if any girl is going to distract him tonight, Sailor Moon is the most forgivable. His approach goes almost unnoticed as her attention is drawn to the ground, and when he holds out a gloved hand she gasps in surprise. "Would you do me the honor of a dance?"

She startles a bit after hearing him speak, and then her eyes go wide with recognition. "Tuxedo Mask…" she gasps under her breath. He isn't surprised she recognizes him. He's wearing his normal outfit, save for the billowing cape and top hat. It's only further proof that this girl is Sailor Moon.

But she does take his proffered hand, and with a small smile he leaders her out to the dance floor. A new waltz is starting up and Tuxedo Mask hurries to get into position, guiding her hands to the proper places. Then the music starts in full and they begin moving.

Moments into their dance Sailor Moon begins speaking. "I was thinking about you just now. I was hoping I'd see you again."

"Were you now?" he remarks, intrigued. There's something about this whole thing – the party, the dancing – that feels familiar to him, and he wonders if she feels the same thing.

.

_Mizuno Ami_

Ami and Rei make their way through the embassy, both of them trying to project an aura of confidence so they're less likely to be questioned about wandering around. So far they've been lucky and haven't run into anyone yet, and Ami can only hope their luck holds.

"Look," Rei whispers, drawing her attention. She points around the corner and down the hall to where a familiar figure – though Ami can't quite place her – stands in front of two guards. It looks as if she's trying to get them to let her in. "I bet that's the princess's room."

They watch as one guard enters, though the girl forces her way in anyways. Whatever happens in the room, the princess must be fine with the girl's presence because a moment later the guards are back at their post outside of the doors. "Great. I doubt we'll be able to get in now. That won't work twice."

"What should we do then?"

Ami purses her lips as she thinks. "Maybe distract them away from their positions? I'm not sure. I highly doubt we'll be able to take them out ourselves."

But, as they're contemplating what to do a shrill scream rings out from inside the room. The guards are instantly moving, bursting through the door to the princess. In the next moment, the princess rushes through them, knocking them both aside as she sprints down the hall. She passes the hall Ami and Rei are hiding in quickly, but it's enough that Ami notices the horrid purple pallor to her skin and the possessed gleam in her eyes. She shares a look with Rei before they wordlessly draw their transformation pens.

"Mercury Power Make Up!" "Mars Power!"

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

'What is this feeling?' Usagi thinks as she twirls around the dance floor with Tuxedo Mask. 'It's so strange…I feel as though Tuxedo Mask and I have danced together before, a long time ago.' Eventually, though, the song comes to an end and Tuxedo Mask steps away, bowing politely. She curtsies in response, and with a single nod of acknowledgement he turns his back on her and heads into the crowd. Her hand clenches by her side, the only outward sign that she doesn't want him to go, but she doesn't follow or ask him to stay.

Then an alarm rings out through the embassy, bringing everything and everyone at the party to a halt. 'Usagi-chan!' the familiar voice of Sailor Mercury rings out in her head. 'The princess is being possessed! She's heading for the balcony.'

'So Rei-chan was right about our enemies,' she can't help thinking as she rushes over to the balcony. No one seems to know what's going on, so it's thankfully empty. And then Usagi spots the princess. It's immediately clear that something's wrong with her, if the color of her skin is any indication. The princess approached the balcony, holding what looks to be a tiny chest over her head as if she's going to throw it over.

Usagi glances over the balcony and isn't surprised to see Nephrite waiting down below. That must bet the legendary treasure, and she sure as hell isn't letting him get his hands on it. She lunges for the princess once she's close enough, trying to grab ahold of the chest. "Get ahold of yourself, Princess D!" she snaps as they struggle. For such a skinny looking girl she's being remarkably difficult.

"Let go of me!" the princess snarls, and with a rough shove sends Usagi tumbling over the railing herself.

Usagi's eyes widen as panic clogs her throat, keeping her from shouting for help. Her mind runs a mile a minute. They were only on the third floor; she's made that kind of jump before. But this building is taller than the average, what with the ballrooms and such inside. It's more like the fifth floor now, but even still, she should be fine, right? No, she realizes, horrified. She's not Sailor Moon right now. A fall from this height, in this human body of hers, that'll surely kill her, if not seriously injure her.

And then she's no longer falling. Her shoulder jerks painfully as someone snags her arm and she glances up gratefully, only to find Tuxedo Mask tightly gripping her hand as they both hang over the balcony edge, his other hand the only thing keeping them from falling. "Tuxedo Mask…" she whispers in awe.

"Hold on," he grits out, and she feels his hand spasm around hers. She grows concerned, worried about how much longer he'll be able to hold up them both. Then, ever so slowly, she starts to lift into the air. There's nothing she can do to help, until at last he's got her up high enough that she can grab onto the floor of the balcony. Using what little strength she has she helps lift herself up until she's able to hold herself on the edge. Tuxedo Mask quickly relinquishes her hand to grab the banister, pulling himself up and back over. Then he moves to help Usagi the rest of the way, holding her hand while she finagles with her skirt over the balcony railing. She breathes a sigh of relief when her feet are back on firm ground

"Thank you," she says, flashing him a genuine smile as she looks up at her savior. Much of his expression is hidden behind the mask at his eyes and the rest of his face reveals nothing, but she imagines there's some warmth in his eyes when he looks at her.

"Well, we can't have Sailor Moon dying on us while evil is still out there," he says, and the softness of her expression freezes at his words. Now she looks at him with panic, but he doesn't seem concerned. "You should join your friends; they need you right now." Sure enough, in the distance she thinks she hears Mars' Fire Soul attack.

"Wh-what?!" she splutters. Then she curses, "shit," because she knows Luna is not going to like hearing this. But he seems to be watching her expectantly, and really, if he knows then there's no reason to hold back now. Usagi grimaces as she shouts, "Moon Prism Power Make Up!" Then she stands before him transformed, but before either can say anything she hears distant shouts.

"Go on," he encourages her.

She grimaces, hesitating for one more moment before shaking her head and vaulting over the balcony she'd nearly fallen from. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars are in the courtyard facing off against Nephrite, the princess nowhere to be found. "Nephrite, we've got you cornered now!" she says, idly noting Tuxedo Mask landing in the grass behind her. Unfortunately, the man doesn't seem willing to take his chances against the four of them because with one last curse he turns and flees, easily jumping the high fence surrounding the property.

"Stop, Nephrite!" Tuxedo Mask shouts, running past Usagi to chase after the man.

But then Sailor Mercury steps forward, holding her arm out to block his path and bringing the man to a halt. "Hold on. Just who the hell do you think you are?" she asks, though her tone is far from gentle.

Tuxedo Mask seems reluctant to answer, if the way he hesitates is any indication. "I'd like to know that as well," he mutters in response, and Usagi takes a step towards him out of concern. "That's why I need to know the secret of the Legendary Silver Crystal," he tells her more confidently now.

"How do you know about the crystal?" Ami pushes. "Are you our enemy, or an ally?"

"If we're after the same thing, I might just be your enemy," he retorts hotly, and it sends a pang through Usagi's heart.

'No,' she thinks, 'we can't be.'

Tuxedo Mask seems fed up with her questioning after that because before Ami can open her mouth again he's leaping over the fence in hot pursuit of Nephrite. All three of them are helpless to stop him. "Damn it," Ami curses, scowling fiercely in the direction he disappeared in. Then she rounds on Usagi. "Come on, we need to heal the princess."

"I think she's back in the ballroom," Usagi says, taking a running leap back for the balcony. 'Up and down, up and down,' she thinks, amused by how many times she's been over this balcony now. Princess D is back on her feet facing the gathered guests, a dark aura surrounding her person.

"I'll turn anyone who gets in my way into a sacrifice for our great ruler!" she threatens the crowd. There's several gasps and cries of fear as she throws her hand out. People quickly fall under the onslaught of energy she unleashes on them.

"Alright, Princess D!" Usagi shouts, drawing the possessed girl's attention. "Give us the Legendary Silver Crystal, or in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"This is my treasure!" she snarls, clutching the box closer to herself.

It looks like she's going to make a break for it, in Usagi's opinion, but Rei is already ready with a talisman in her hand. "I call upon the power of Mars, evil spirit, be exorcised!" She whips the paper at the princess, attaching it neatly to her turned back and she slumps over unconscious. Then the thing possessing her finally appears, seeping from her prone body into a massive black shape hovering above them with Nephrite's face.

A large spectral hand rises from the writhing shape, unleashing a steady torrent of dark energy on them. Usagi falters under the onslaught, the dark energy nearly burning where it presses against her, suffocating her. "What is this?" she gasps out, though it's like inhaling hot ash and she coughs to try and rid herself of the feeling.

"I'll try," Sailor Mercury grits out, moving her hands into position. "Mercury Bubble Spray!" The attack disperses across the area, growing in density until the black energy is almost entirely diffused, giving them space to breathe again as it and the mist cancel one another out. "Finish it, Sailor Moon!"

"Don't have to tell me twice," she mutters under her breath, reaching for her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action!" She throws it right at Nephrite's spectral face, and this form of his must not be as strong as any monster because it easily tears through his form, destroying the entire thing until there's no wispy black smoke left. Finally, the chaos is over and Usagi breathes a sigh of relief. "What a party," she remarks to her companions.

Ami gives her a look. "I'm not sure how your night went, but that seemed pretty standard for a monster encounter."

"You don't have to be jealous that I got to dance and you didn't," Usagi teases her.

"Guys," Rei interjects, "I don't think Princess D is the Moon Princess we're looking for." Usagi and Ami look over to their final companion, who's over by the prone princess as she's starting to stir.

Usagi shares a disappointed look with Ami. "You think it's worth sticking around to see the legendary treasure?"

"Not at all." Ami shakes her head.

"So this was a bust," Usagi groans. "But I guess it's a good thing we were here anyways."

Rei nods. "That could've been a lot worse, I think."

"Right. Well, we should head back to the shrine, then. Luna will want to know what happened," Usagi decides. The other Guardians nod in agreement and then they're off again, this time leaving the embassy for good.


	27. Naru's Love

_Tsukino Usagi_

When Usagi wakes the morning after the Kingdom of Diamonds' party, there's a single text on her civilian phone that she knows can only be from one person.

**Osaka Naru 05:40  
You'll never guess what happened last night! Wanna meet for lunch 12?**

A quick check of the clock above her bed tells her she's got barely an hour to reply with her answer before Osaka wants to meet.

**You 11:08  
Sure. Same place?**

After sending the text she flops back on her bed, still utterly exhausted, but she knows she can't not go. She saw them dancing herself last night. She has to know what happened between them, if anything, and the best way to hear it is from Naru herself. From the looks of it, the girl must've been either too tired or too depressed to sleep. Usagi hopes it's the latter, for the sake of her sanity.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Naru's beaten her again to the café, and she's practically bouncing in her seat once she notices Usagi's approach. At the very least, she waits until Usagi prompts her before she starts rapidly talking about her night with Sanjoin Masato.

"I was right, Usagi-san!" she gushes. "He was there! Sanjoin-sama. Oh, we danced, and it was the best thing ever! He said he was so happy to see me there, and he wanted to dance, and he even said I looked beautiful in my dress." She finally paused for breath, looking expectantly at Usagi and that was when the blonde realized she expected a reaction from her.

"U, well, it sounds like you had a great time last night," she says.

"I did! It was the best night of my life!"

"And, uh…" Usagi hedges, "did anything else happen last night?" They know undoubtedly that Nephrite possessed the princess, so maybe Naru had been around or noticed something suspicious when he left.

The way she flushes a bright red, though, makes Usagi wonder otherwise. "N-No, of course not!" Naru stammers out. "He would never – I'm only 14!"

Usagi blinks, thrown by her last statement – because what would her age have to do with him acting suspicious? – and she realizes something must've gotten mixed up in the subtext of their conversation. She thinks about it for a moment to try and understand Naru's comment, and when she finally does she flushes too. "No – that's not what I meant!" 'Just, eww,' she thinks. 'Who even knows how old Nephrite is anyways.'

"Ah," Naru says, calming down. "What do you mean then?"

Usagi's gaze shifts nervously to the side. "Did Ne-Sanjoin stay with you the whole time, or did he go off somewhere?"

A thoughtful look appears on Naru's face. "I'm…not sure," she answers haltingly. "We danced for a bit, and after that we went to the balcony. We talked, but after that…I don't remember. I don't even recall getting home. I didn't think about it until you brought it up, but isn't that weird?"

"Yes. Very weird," Usagi immediately agrees. Nephrite must've done something to her, but what, she can't imagine. She doesn't sense any lingering darkness around her friend, so whatever it was hopefully isn't still affecting her.

"Usagi!" a familiar voice calls out, drawing both girls' attention. Usagi looks towards the door of the café and is surprised to see Ami heading over. Even more surprising, though, is the bright smile on her face. "Don't tell me you forgot. We're supposed to be at the movie theater in an hour. If I hadn't seen you we could've missed it."

Usagi has to take a moment to figure exactly what the genius is up to, but then she catches on. "Right, sorry. We were talking and lost track of time. Oh, Ami, this is Osaka Naru, a classmate of mine," she says, remembering to introduce them.

"A pleasure," Ami says genially, false smile still plastered.

"Yeah," Naru replies, looking a little overwhelmed. "You're Mizuno Ami, the genius from Class 5. I didn't know you two were friends," she adds with a look at Usagi.

She grimaces. "I'm not really sure how I managed that either." She starts to stand. "Sorry to bail on you, but we should be going."

"Of course," Naru easily agrees. "I'll see you around, Usagi-san."

"Yeah!" If this whole mess with Nephrite continues Usagi doesn't doubt it. She follows Ami out of the shop and down the street, waiting until they've walked a couple blocks before asking, "So what was that about?"

"That girl was the victim Nephrite used to infect Princess D with that shadow. Rei-chan and I watched it," she explains without preamble.

Usagi stops walking at the news, suddenly incensed. "Dammit! That bastard."

Ami turns her head to give Usagi a curious look. "Why are you so upset? She's not his first victim, and she likely won't be the last."

"Nephrite's always used the others for their energy," Usagi remarks, walking to catch up to the other girl. "He's only using Naru because she's obsessed with him. 'In love,' she says. I don't know how."

"Do you think Nephrite knows of her affections?"

"I don't doubt it. She was there that night when Nephrite pretended to be Tuxedo Mask. She confessed her love to him then."

A considering look crosses Ami's face. "And now he's taking advantage of that. It's possible he might try it again."

"So…?" Usagi prompts when the genius says nothing more. She knows that look on her face, and it worries her what the other may be planning.

"Well, we could use her as a bait of sorts. Keep an eye on her, wait to see if Nephrite appears again. Or maybe use her as an informant, to tell us whenever she sees him. Ask her to get closer to him. Though I suppose if he's just using her that might not be effective; he won't really care, after all. But she could be useful."

"No."

Ami pauses, turning to her blonde companion. "What?"

Usagi shakes her head. "No, we won't use her like that. We'd be just as bad as Nephrite."

"So?" Ami parrots with a cocked brow. "We're at war with the Dark Kingdom, and we're currently at a disadvantage. We can barely keep up with these new monsters, so if we can find an edge against Nephrite we should take it. You're letting sentiment cloud your judgement."

"We're not so desperate that we need to resort to underhanded tactics like that," Usagi argues, her expression turned stony. "It's not sentiment. I'm just trying to keep a civilian out of our business. We don't need to make her a bigger target than she already is." She meets Ami's equally cold expression, prepared to argue further over the matter. But surprisingly, Ami just shrugs it off.

"Fine, O Wise Leader, we'll do it your way," she says, just a touch sarcastic enough to grate on Usagi's nerves. "But she's involved whether you like it or not, and I'm not going to risk my life to save hers." She turns to head off down another street and Usagi doesn't follow. "I'll let you know if anything shows up."

Usagi heaves a sigh full of exasperation and annoyance at her teammate. She should've expected something like this from the cold genius girl. Maybe she is being a bit sentimental, but she can't help it. She doesn't have many friends, but Naru is one of them now and she'll do her damnedest to keep her safe. With that in mind she pulls out her cell phone, dialing the one number that isn't part of her household.

Naru answers almost immediately. _"Usagi-san? I thought you were at the movies with Mizuno." _

"It hasn't start yet. Just – listen, Naru-san. You need to forget about Sanjoin Masato, alright? He's not a good guy, and he's involved in some dangerous stuff and I don't want you to get involved," she says quickly. "Okay?"

_"Wh-what are you talking about?" _Naru asks, sounding confused.

"Just trust me, Naru. He's bad news and you need to forget about him. Forget about loving him."

_"How do you know?"_

Her voice is small, almost timid, and it makes Usagi think she may have a chance of convincing her. Except she can't exactly tell Naru the man she loves is actually a powerful Commander from the Dark Kingdom trying to steal peoples' energy. "I-it's complicated. My instincts are telling me there's something off about him. He's dangerous, and for your sake –"

_"Thanks for the advice, Tsukino-san," _Naru interrupts, her tone hard and Usagi immediately knows she's lost her. _"But my instincts tell me otherwise. I thought you understood me. I thought you were on my side. I'll see you when break ends, yeah?"_ She hangs up without waiting for Usagi to reply.

Usagi grits her teeth, barely resisting the urge to throw her phone. "Shit!" That had gone the exact opposite way she had expected it to, and now she's lost her easiest means of keeping track of Nephrite's involvement with Naru. And not only that, it feels like she's lost her friend, too. The disappointment in her tone felt like a hand crushing her heart in its firm grip. "Dammit, Naru." She'll have to keep her distance now, but like hell is she going to leave the girl alone to that bastard's machinations.

Since Ami's abandoned her she heads to the Crown Game Center since she's already out and she needs something to take her mind off this mess of a day. But when she walks inside she sees Motoki bent over beside some other girl and her jealousy flares, though it's not as poignant as it once had been. The voice that speaks up behind her, though, that gets her heart skipping a beat and she immediately hates herself for it.

"Hey, Motoki!" Someone's getting jealous you're not giving them your attention," he calls out teasingly.

Usagi feels herself flush as she turns around to snap at Mamoru. "I am not!" Then she turns back to Motoki who, to her embarrassment, has definitely heard and is looking over, clearly amused. "I am not!" she reiterates more indignantly to him. "I was just leaving; you look busy. I'll stop by another time." Without looking at either of them she quickly books it back out of the arcade despite Motoki's protest of, "But you just arrived!" She doesn't go far, though, and can clearly hear when Motoki scolds Mamoru.

"You don't have to be so mean," he says disapprovingly.

"I was just teasing," is the other teen's response.

She scowls and stomps off. Teasing is the last thing she needs right now. Some advice would actually be good because this isn't a situation she's ever been in before, but who could she really ask? She already knows how Ami feels, and she doubts Rei-chan would know what to do either considering the other girl isn't much of a people-person. Motoki might've been able to help, but Usagi isn't in the mood to listen to Mamoru's remarks and she doesn't doubt the teen would be quick to offer some. That's everyone she knows – or would be willing to ask. 'Maybe I'll just take a nap instead, and something will come to me later,' she decides, already heading back home. 'Yeah, that sounds good.'

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Nephrite_

He feels the summons from Queen Beryl – the fifth one this morning – and though it's tainted with her ire he has no desire to listen to it. He's well aware of why she's displeased with him, and he won't give her an easy opportunity to…retire him like she did with Jadeite. He has to do something, quickly, and he's been racking his brain for the past day and night. Now, he thinks he may finally have a solution.

A laugh startles him from his thoughts, and without turning he already knows who's intruding in his privacy. "What do you want?" he snaps.

"I would check my tone if I were you," Zoisite replies. "Queen Beryl is furious with you, you know. She's looking for you."

"And let me guess, Kunzite told you to spy on me?" he retorts, finally turning to look at his fellow Commander with a wicked gleam in his eye. "Is it really Queen Beryl you serve, or Kunzite? What am I saying, the whole Dark Kingdom knows how you serve Kunzite."

Zoisite's expression twitches, his eyes narrowing in a glare. "Keep up your failures and you won't have anyone to serve!"

"Careful, or I'll start to think you're concerned for me."

"Hardly." Zoisite sniffs daintily, twirling a lock of hair around his finger. "When you're turned to stone just as Jadeite was I'm sure I'll be laughing along with the rest of the Dark Kingdom." He chuckles darkly. "I can't wait."

"You'll be waiting for quite a while. I'm going to obtain the Legendary Silver Crystal. Then we'll see who's laughing."

"What?" Zoisite snaps, his voice cracking sharply around the nearly empty room. "Finding the crystal is my job!"

"I don't give a shit," Nephrite proclaims, ignoring the turbulent energy rolling off the other man. "This will be my chance to redeem myself," he says, more to himself than the other Commander. Zoisite disappears in a flurry of flowers after spitting out one last remark that he promptly ignores.

He takes a deep breath to calm himself, letting his anger melt away. 'Shameful that I'd let the likes of _him_ get to me,' he thinks. Now, without any interruptions, he can concentrate. With the sun at the perfect angle between the planets, he can create an object that will aid in his search.

He takes another deep breath and concentrates on gathering his energy, amplified by his connection to the planets, at a single point between his hands. Energy starts to crackle wildly, emanating from his hand though it quickly spreads to encompass the whole room. It tingles where it grazes his skin, though he pays it no mind. He can feel the power coalescing as the pressure builds until it's almost too much. At the very last moment he flings his arms wide open, the dark energy rapidly expanding before condensing into a small object that falls to the ground with a sharp clink. Energy briefly snaps around it for a moment before dissipating, finally inert.

Nephrite picks up the object with a slight apprehension. 'The Dark Crystal…This is what will guide me to the Legendary Silver Crystal.'

Suddenly the object starts to glow, an image appearing above the crystal's point. It's a figure he definitely recognizes, and he looks upon it with confusion. "Don't tell me _she _has the Legendary Silver Crystal," he says to no one in particular. 'Perhaps Osaka Naru will be useful once again.'

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Tsukino Usagi_

After she wakes from her nap Usagi kills time catching up on her manga, even playing some video games. Anything to distract her from Naru and Nephrite. But when Luna finally makes her way home that evening and notices Usagi's odd behavior she demands to know what's happened and Usagi spills. Now the cat sits contemplatively on Usagi's table while the girl in question watches nervously.

"You have the right idea, Usagi-chan," Luna eventually says. "You just needs to convince her."

"But how, Luna? She doesn't want to talk to me." Usagi flops dramatically back on her bed.

"Don't give her a choice. Go to her and make her understand."

"You think?" She lifts her head enough to give the cat an incredulous look.

Luna nods. "I do. And I'll even go with you, if you want."

Usagi considers it for several moments. "Okay," she finally agrees. She gets up, and after a quick check to the Moon's database for Naru's address – Usagi doesn't want to think of why Luna or Ami thought that important to note, but she's grateful right now – they head off. They don't talk on the way over, partly because Luna can't in public but mostly because Usagi is lost in her thoughts, mulling over earlier that afternoon the first time she'd talked to Naru.

She doesn't even notice the woman walking toward her until she calls Usagi's name. "Tsukino-san?"

Usagi stops. "Yes?" The woman looks vaguely familiar, though Usagi can't place where she's seen her.

"I'm Naru's mother. She told me about you."

'Ah, that explains it,' Usagi thinks, now recognizing the family resemblance. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so," her mother's expression twists with worry. "Have you seen Naru-chan? She ran out a little while ago with one of my most expensive gems and I'm worried she's in trouble."

Usagi's brow furrows with her concern. "Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. Before that she got a call from someone named Sanjoin Masato. Maybe he's involved." At hearing that dreaded name Usagi's expression turns cold and Naru's mother seems to recognize the seriousness of the situation. "Is my little girl in trouble, Tsukino-san?" she gasps fearfully.

"Don't worry, Osaka-san. I'll find her and fix this," Usagi tells her. "Keep looking, and if you find her let me know. I'll tell my friends to help as well." She turns and starts walking the other way, ducking down the first alley she sees and pulling out her communicator. She group calls the others and they pick up almost immediately. "We have an urgent problem. Naru's run off with Nephrite and we need to find her quickly. Ami, is there any way you can track her or Nephrite?"

_"Hmm,"_ Ami's voice sounds thoughtful. _"I can try, but no guarantees."_

"Do your best then. Rei-chan and I will transform and patrol on foot with Luna. Anyone finds out anything call it in, okay?"

_"Yeah."_

_"Okay, Usagi-chan."_

Usagi hangs up and transforms. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!" Then she takes to the rooftops.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She's searching for maybe ten minutes when her communicator beeps with a message.

**Sailor Mercury 21:50  
Found minute spike of dark energy. May be worth checking out.**

The second text is a set of coordinates accompanying a small screenshot of a map.

**Sailor Moon 21:51  
Everyone go!**

Without a moment to lose Usagi takes off, Luna at her heels. As she gets closer she recognizes the location as Sankaku Park. It's practically dead this late at night, save for two figures she instantly knows. Nephrite's hand is resting across Naru's shoulders and it almost makes Usagi see red. "Get your hands off her!" she demands, landing several feet behind them. It probably would've been better for her to wait for Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars for backup, but she can't stand the idea of leaving Naru with Nephrite any longer than necessary. "As the Guardian who fights for Love and Justice, I won't stand for you manipulating a girl's feelings for evil things. I am Sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Sailor Moon…what are you doing here?" Naru asks, confused.

"Naru-san, don't be tricked by this man. He only cares for your usefulness in his schemes! His real name is Nephrite, and he works with the Dark Kingdom stealing the energy of innocent people."

"No way! You're lying," she immediately denies. Usagi grits her teeth in frustration. "He's not a bad person, I'm sure." She turns to Nephrite, a pleading look on her face. He isn't paying her any attention, his gaze focused solely and intently on Usagi. "Sanjoin-sama?"

Usagi can feel when he starts to gather dark energy, the atmosphere turning heavy around them though Naru seems entirely unbothered. Then, with a sudden shout, Nephrite's arm raises to fling a bright ball of energy at Usagi. She barely has time to brace herself before it hits her dead center, the energy moving quickly through her and flinging her back several feet into the fountain behind her. It knocks the breath from her lungs, and when she coughs she's horrified to find some blood speckling the ground before her. When she looks up again Nephrite is smirking at her. She didn't feel anything break, but that blast of his could've done anything to her.

He holds his hand up before him as if he's praying. Usagi gets up as quickly as she can, just as an onslaught of smaller energy balls rains down from the sky above her. She dodges to the best of her ability, but it's hard to watch where you're going and watch numerous glowing balls of light showering down around you. More than a couple hit, and while they don't leave physical marks on her body – in fact, they seem to slip right through her – Usagi feels searing pain in her body, almost as if they're penetrating right to her bone.

Eventually she stumbles, falling to the ground with a pained cry and another splatter of blood. Her limbs feel weak, and one of her arms won't stop shaking uncontrollably. The storm of energy stops moments later, but when she lifts her head again she can see Nephrite preparing for another attack. Usagi knows she probably isn't going to be able to dodge, and the petty part of her hopes Naru is still watching – watching the man she loves beat up a Guardian of Love and Justice, the one who's already saved her several times before. 'If this doesn't convince her, I don't know what else will?' Usagi thinks wryly as she watches the energy visibly gather in front of Nephrite's crossed arms.

The torrent of energy speeds toward her and she's helpless to get out of the way. It strikes Usagi full on, the energy exploding within her without leaving a trace, flinging her back with enough force she crumbles bits of the pavement as she skids. She can't help but cry out as pain overwhelms her; she feels as if every one of her nerves is on fire.

"Sailor Moon!" she distantly hears Luna cry out, abandoning her hiding spot behind the fountain. The cat is far more panicked than Usagi's ever seen her.

Usagi rapidly feels her energy and strength slipping away. 'My transformation,' she thinks, 'Nephrite will see and he'll know who I am!' She tries to convey this just through a glance, but the cat gives nothing away.

"You may have survived my last attack, Sailor Moon, but I'll be sure to send you to hell with the next!" Nephrite shouts across the park. She can practically feel him gearing up for another attack, her raw nerves sensitive to the dark energy in the air as the burning sensation grows again.

It becomes too much for Usagi, but the last thing she hears before passing out entirely is a familiar voice shouting, "Mercury Bubble Spray!" and she has a moment to feel relieved before she feels nothing at all.

.

_Mizuno Ami_

Usagi's rapidly fading energy signature on her goggles has Ami moving even quicker over the rooftops, Rei easily matching her pace. By the time they reach the park Usagi's tracker is barely visible and she knows they'll have to act quickly. She doesn't hesitate to cast her Bubble Spray, hiding them all from view as she lands next to Usagi's prone body. Her transformation drops almost as soon as she does and Ami has to restrain the curse that wants to escape so she doesn't give away their position.

"Distract him!" she hisses under her breath to Sailor Mars as she grabs their unconscious comrade under her arms. Usagi makes a noise of protest – or pain, Ami isn't too familiar with her subconscious noises – and drags her around the other side of the fountain from Nephrite. It's not much, but it's the best she can do given the situation.

The heat from Mars' Fire Soul dissipates her fog, and Ami is displeased – but not surprised – to see Nephrite managed to dodge it. "So all three of you have arrived now," he sneers, watching Ami and Rei standing together. "Well, one of you is hiding now, but I'm sure she won't be hard to find once I'm through with you two. You should be grateful; not many get the chance to die with their friends." He crosses his arms again and his eyes close as he concentrates on gathering power, and Ami rapidly tries to come up with a plan.

But then something quickly flies at Nephrite, slashing at his wrist before impaling itself in the concrete beside him. It's a red rose. In the next moment a tall and dark figure is landing before them, facing off against their enemy. "Tuxedo Mask…" Sailor Mars wonders aloud.

'Why is he here?' Ami thinks. 'We have a connection!' Usagi's words from before come to mind unbidden. Before she had doubted the legitimacy of the girl's words, but perhaps they were right after all. Otherwise how would Tuxedo Mask have known they – or rather, Sailor Moon – needed his help. Either way, though she may still have her reservations about the man she wasn't going to turn down his help. Especially when it seemed he could actually keep up with the Commander.

The two were engaged in an intense hand-to-hand battle that Ami never would've been able to keep up with. Even Osaka seemed stunned by the ferocity of the two men, standing behind Nephrite with a horrified expression and both of her hands tightly clutching at her skirt.

"Should we try and help him?" Sailor Mars asks her, a furrowed expression on her face. She seems a little confused by Tuxedo Mask's presence as well.

"If you think you can get a shot at Nephrite go for it," Ami replies, never once taking her eyes off the two. She activates her goggles just so she can better study them. She highly doubts they'll be able to take down Nephrite tonight, so the extra information about how he fights could be useful for them later on. They seem to be evenly matched, though Ami wouldn't consider herself an expert by any means, but Nephrite doesn't seem to be landing any more hits than Tuxedo Mask. She can't quite see their masked defender, but Nephrite has a bloody nose and is greatly favoring his left side – possibly due to a rib injury. 'We might just have a chance,' she thinks, a little amazed.

She's so entranced by their battle of fists that she nearly cheers out when Tuxedo Mask manages to swipe at Nephrite's legs with his cane, knocking the evil man to the ground with a heavy thump. He steps back and doesn't even need to say a thing before Sailor Mars is moving to attack the fallen man. "Mars Fire Soul!"

But she's not the only one who moves.

"I won't let you hurt Sanjoin-sama!" Osaka shouts, flinging her arms wide to cover Nephrite's body with her own. Despite the strength in her voice her expression is one of pure fear at facing down a stream of flames head on.

Ami's eyes widen in horror and she reacts instinctively, flinging her hand out as she wills the flames to just _freeze_. The pillar of flames, now encased in ice, clatter to the concrete mere inches from where Osaka stands. There's an audible sigh of relief from more than just Ami as they realize the crisis has been averted. One of them, at least.

"Get out of the way!" Ami snaps. "You would defend that man who's done horrible things?"

"We won't forgive him for what he's done," Sailor Mars interjects as well.

"I don't care!" The girl seems adamant. "I won't move out of the way even if you have to kill me as well."

"Don't think we won't," Ami growls, her patience growing thin. Then the girl has the audacity to throw her a defiant look.

"You stopped that attack before. You could have let it burn me."

Ami's eye twitches as she growls, "Next time I won't. That was your last chance. Why do you insist on defending this man?"

"Because I love him," she admits, so softly Ami almost misses her heartfelt words. Tears start to stream down her face as her emotions overwhelm her. "I love him so much! I'll protect him even if it costs me my life."

Suddenly a blue glow starts to emanate from behind Osaka, drawing their attention though the girl doesn't seem to notice. Nephrite holds up a small crystal, and it's emitting a bright blue light for no discernible reason, though the man is looking at it in amazement. She can see him speaking, though she can't make out what. Her goggles can't even tell what the crystal is reacting to, and she definitely doesn't like it, but they aren't given long to wonder.

"So that's the Silver Crystal?" a voice calls out from the bushes. All five of them turn towards the newcomer, a woman – probably – wearing a face mask and traditional clothing who's lunging towards Nephrite. He rolls back from Osaka, pushing himself to his feet in the same movement as the woman completely bypasses the girl, directly attacking him. He manages to deflect her first few strikes, though Ami doesn't miss the way he drops the crystal in his hand.

But Nephrite must not be the monster's true target, for when Osaka bends down to pick it up it immediately redirects its attention to her. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars both make to move towards Osaka to defend her, though Ami knows they'll never reach her in time. They're not the only ones though. Nephrite's hand is outstretched, another of his energy blasts winding its way towards the monster and the girl, cleaving the monster's mask clean in half.

As it clatters to the floor Osaka stands and backs away in shock, though Ami is sure the expression is mirrored on their faces as well. 'He…protected her,' she thinks incredulously. Even Nephrite seems surprised about what he did. That must be the final straw for Osaka, who almost immediately passes out where she stands. Tuxedo Mask, who'd already been moving her way, catches her and gently lays her on the ground.

"Curse you, Nephrite!" the monster shrieks, having transformed while they were all distracted. She charges the man again, her head bent low to impale him with her horns.

Ami almost considers leaving while he's distracted – clearly there's some sort of rivalry going on in the Dark Kingdom that they probably shouldn't get in between – though Rei seems to have other ideas. While the monster is hovering in the air – her horns have transformed, again – a jet of flame bursts through the sky to strike it dead on, burning it to a crisp. It falls to the concrete, twitching with its last life, and Tuxedo Mask finishes it off by stabbing his cane through its head once and for all. The monster crumbles to dust in seconds.

In the aftermath of the quick battle, things are tense as the three warily watch Nephrite. He stands across from them, and though he outwardly projects a calm exterior Ami can see he's trying to hide his pain from the fight earlier. Under their watchful gaze he starts to approach Osaka, though as soon as he gets within range Tuxedo Mask has his cane out and pointed at the other man.

"Don't touch her!" Sailor Mars snaps, stepping forward herself.

"Relax," he sneers, pulling his hand from his pocket. There's a smooth round object between his fingers – a crystal of some sort. He moves slowly as he bends towards Osaka to place it in her palm, picking up the crystal he dropped in return.

"What do you want with Osaka-san?" Ami asks. It's one of the few moments they have with Nephrite that isn't full of fighting and she's going to use this opportunity while it lasts.

"Nothing, really. I thought she could be of use, but she's too obsessed with me to be helpful," he replies, standing. "You won't be able to play the hero much longer. When I find the Legendary Silver Crystal, the Dark Kingdom will use it to rule the world and you girls will be turned to dust. Keep preaching about your love and justice while you can. Farewell," he says, stepping back and daring to toss them a wave goodbye.

Sailor Mars almost makes to follow, though Ami is quick to stop her with a hand on her arm. She shakes her head once and the unusually spirited girl takes a deep breath to calm herself. "We need to get Osaka back, and…" she trails off, resisting the urge to look back at the fountain though she hopes Rei catches her drift. She doesn't want to alert Tuxedo Mask to the fact their illustrious leader is lying unconscious in her civilian form with barely a fountain to hide her. "You should go," she tells Tuxedo Mask. "We can handle it from here."

The man hesitates, and behind the mask she can see him spare a quick glance around. "Did something…happen to Sailor Moon?" he hesitantly asks.

"She's fine," Ami interjects as coldly as she can. "Leave, unless you'd rather be questioned some more." Tuxedo Mask's lips press together, showing just how annoyed he is, but he doesn't stick around any longer which is exactly what Ami had been hoping for. As soon as he's gone she darts back over to where Usagi lays.

"What's wrong with her?" she asks Luna, who's been sitting with the blonde since they arrived. Ami quickly scans their fallen comrade, though there are no injuries that she can see, at least externally. Her goggles pick up nothing except the lingering dark energy used in the attack, and though it's certainly abnormal she doesn't think it should be a reason to worry. Maybe.

"It's the dark energy Nephrite attacked her with," Luna answers worriedly. "It acts as a poison to celestial beings such as yourself, and until it works itself out of her system I'm afraid she'll remain unconscious. At the very least, there shouldn't be any lasting effects."

"Is there anything we can do?" Sailor Mars asks, just as worried as their companion. She's looking down at their friend with her brows furrowed from her concern.

"How haven't we figured this out before?" Ami asks the cat as well. "We've been around dark energy and this has never happened to any of us."

Luna shakes her head. "You've been around it, but never directly interacted with it like this before. Though I'm sure if you'd spent long enough in an area corrupted with it you'd start to show signs as well. As for how we can help her…" Luna trails off. "Normally I'd say we take her someplace with pure energy to counteract the dark energy, but I don't know of any places. They just aren't as naturally occurring here on Earth."

'As opposed to where?' Ami can't help but wonder, but that's a question for another time.

"We can take her back to the shrine, at least," Rei suggests. "It might be difficult to explain to her parents what happened. We have some spare rooms, and my grandfather probably won't even notice, let alone ask questions."

Ami stands. "Right. You and Luna take her back to the Hikawa Shrine, then, and I'll take Osaka back to her mother. Can you manage that?" she asks, glancing between the two. Rei is almost the same size as Usagi, so carrying her might be a bit of an ordeal. Maybe they should've had Tuxedo Mask help after all – no, she discards the thought almost as immediately as it occurs. Revealing Usagi's civilian identity isn't worth the minor inconvenience.

"Will you head to the shrine once you're done with her?" Luna asks while Rei starts attempting to pick up Usagi. Ami moves to help her drape the girl across her back to carry her as she ponders her answer.

"No," she eventually replies. "Unless you think my presence might help Usagi at all."

Luna shakes her head. "Between the two of you, I doubt it'd make much of a difference."

"Then I'll just head back to my place. But I'll stop by tomorrow to see how she's doing," she tells Rei, just as a heads up. She'll also have to take a look at what her goggles recorded, see if she can get anything from the fight earlier that might be helpful. She goes to grab Osaka, draping the girl's arm around her own, and after one last look at Rei and her own burden the girls head off to their respective destinations.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry about the lack of update last week. I've started working on another (old) story of mine so I'm going to be updating on a bi-weekly basis from now until that's finished (or I decide to stop working on it).


	28. A Devastating Death

_Hino Rei_

Rei is tending to Usagi, who's still unconscious almost 12 hours later, when Ami politely knocks on the shoji door. "Come in," she says, wiping at Usagi's brow as Ami moves to sit across from her on the other side of Usagi.

"How is she?" she asks, sounding oddly subdued. Rei knows that Ami and Usagi have a more antagonistic relationship than her own with the genius, but she also knows they both care about the other, in their own ways.

"She hasn't woken, if that's what you're wondering," she answers. "She's been restless all night, and I think she developed a fever, though it doesn't seem too bad."

Ami nods. "If she's got a fever then perhaps it's a sign that her body is fighting off whatever Nephrite's attacks did to her," she muses aloud.

"I hope she wakes up soon," Rei says, shooting their friend a worried look. "I hate that we can't do anything for her. If we had been quicker…"

"Don't," Ami interjects, somewhat roughly. "There's no point in worrying about what-ifs. We couldn't do anything last night, but now we know and we can prepare. It happened once; it won't happen again." Rei is almost stunned by the fiercely determined expression on the genius's face. "Has Luna been by?"

Rei has to blink a couple of times to get her mind back on track. "Uh, not yet."

Ami frowns. "I haven't found anything on the sensors, and I doubt she has either. But it would've been nice if she could've updated us on Usagi's condition."

"I'm not sure there is much to update on," Rei says. "She told us she'd wake up when she's better."

"Have you tried…," Ami hesitates, as if what she's about to suggest pains her to say, "praying or whatever it is you do, over her? With your powers. You're a priestess, aren't you?"

Rei shakes her head, though she shoots a considering look at their unconscious teammate. "It didn't occur to me to try. Do you think it might help?"

Ami shrugs. "Religion isn't exactly a science," she replies. "But neither is whatever we do, so maybe your powers can send some good vibes her way and she'll heal a bit faster. If anything, it won't hurt, but we need Usagi up and fighting as soon as possible since we have no idea when Nephrite could attack again."

"I'll do my best," Rei says with a determined nod. She may not be able to help Luna or Ami much, but right now she can help Usagi, and for their leader – her friend – she'll try whatever she's capable of.

Ami nods as well. "I'll be heading out then. Keep me updated if anything happens, for better or worse."

"Okay. Good luck." As the other girl departs, Rei shifts into a more comfortable position on the cushion beside Usagi's futon. It would suck if her legs fell asleep while she was praying.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Nephrite_

Later that night, Nephrite used the Dark Crystal to find Osaka Naru again. It had occurred to him earlier as he pondered the crystal and its odd reaction, that perhaps the girl might know something about Sailor Moon. The heroine in question certainly seemed familiar enough with Osaka, calling her by name and trying so desperately to keep him away from her. That's why he thought it worth visiting her one last time.

As he landed on her balcony, the Dark Crystal immediately started glowing in reaction to her presence. 'Or could it be her love?' he sneers, recalling how she'd jumped in front of the fire attack for him, how she'd confessed her love yet again for him.

'Maybe the Legendary Silver Crystal is hidden inside a human body," he muses, releasing the crystal into her room. It floats and hovers over her body, but nothing about her changes the crystal's reaction. 'No, it's not here,' he decides. He'll have to move forward with his initial plan.

He steps back behind the curtains to wait for her to awaken, knowing the light from outside will dramatically highlight his silhouette enough that she'll be able to instantly recognize him. Satisfied, he makes a light noise against the window to help her along. It takes several moments, but eventually he hears a soft groan and gentle shifting from her bed. "Sanjoin-sama?" her voice quietly calls out.

He pauses, as if this were something hard for him to admit, and then says, "Sanjoin Masato is a fake name. I can no longer lie to you, Naru. My real name is Nephrite." He hears her gasp and move to get off the bed, but he isn't done yet. "Stay where you are," he orders, pleased when she immediately listens. This'll be far more convincing if she can't see his facial expressions that don't match his words.

"You're…an amazing woman, Naru. Because of you, I've learned what love is." He pauses. "I've never…where I'm from, such an emotion doesn't exist. We betray our allies, and kill one another for personal gain; it's evil, down to the core. I thought that's just how it was, until I came here and met you. With you…your love has shown me the truth." He hears a quiet sniffle and knows she's hooked, taken in by his supposed change of heart.

"I want to leave. If I could get in touch with Sailor Moon, I know she could help me take them down. Can you help me, Naru? Please, I need you to tell me what you know about Sailor Moon. How do I find her?" He tries to sound desperate, if only to encourage her to help him out.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know anything," she says sadly, and Nephrite frowns. Was he not convincing enough in his regret to get her to tell him? She can't possibly expect him to believe she doesn't know anything about Sailor Moon when the Guardian so obviously knows and cares for her.

"Do you not trust me?" he asks, feigning hurt. Perhaps he can guilt her into admitting it.

"Of course I do!" she immediately denies. "But…it's true, I really don't know anything." She sounds close to tears, and Nephrite grits his teeth. He hadn't bothered to consider that she really didn't know anything, but that must be the case. That, or she's far too loyal to the blonde brat to tell even the one she claims to love. As he highly doubts that's the case, she must know nothing.

"I see," he says, trying to sound as disappointed as he can. 'But this can still be salvaged, maybe,' he thinks. 'Clearly it pains her to see me…distressed, and even though she doesn't know anything she might be able to find someone who does. I'll just have to wait and see.' He vanishes from her room after that despite her pleas for him to stay, though he doesn't go far, just out of her immediate sight. It may prove fruitful for him to watch her a little longer.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Tsukino Usagi_

An incessant ringing draws Usagi from her heavy slumber as she stretches a hand out to the offending noise. It's her civilian phone, and she doesn't bother checking the caller ID before she answers. "'lo?" she grunts out. It's almost 12 AM, and though she's been resting on and off all day since she awoke at Rei's earlier that afternoon she's still tired from last night's fight. Who knew fighting off dark energy would be so exhausting? According to Luna, she could've gotten way worse than just a fever from the whole ordeal.

_"Usagi-san?"_ a cautious voice speaks from the other end, and it takes her several moments to identify the voice as Naru's. That has her waking up a little further, sitting up in her bed and turning on the lamp beside her to illuminate her room. At the foot of her bed, Luna perks her head up to watch Usagi, though she stays silent after Usagi holds a finger up to halt any remarks.

"Naru-chan, hey, what's up?" she asks semi-cautiously. After their whole falling out the day before over Nephrite, she hadn't expected to hear from the other girl for a while. But, when she thinks about it, something sounds off about Naru's voice over the phone and it has her growing concerned.

_"Sorry to bother you so late,"_ the girl apologizes, though Usagi shrugs it off with a noncommittal hum. _"I just – you were the only one I felt I could talk to."_

"What's wrong?"

_"It's Sanjoin-sama…"_ Usagi tenses, wondering if there was another attack that she wasn't told about. She wouldn't put it past Ami to leave her out of something when she's barely recovered. But Naru's next words make her breath catch. _"He wants to find Sailor Moon. He needs her help…I think he's in trouble."_

Usagi hesitates, unsure of what to say to that. She shares a look with Luna, who by now is sitting close enough to hear the conversation as well, but the cat seems just as confused, if not as concerned. Then she hears a sniffle through the receiver. "Are you…crying? What did he say?" Nephrite had to have talked to her tonight.

_"Sorry,"_ Naru apologizes again. _"I shouldn't have called. I just don't know what to do."_

"It's fine. What does he want?" Usagi tries asking her again.

_"Talking to you has calmed me down. Thanks, Usagi-san," _Naru says instead. _"Sorry again for calling you so late. Goodnight."_

"Wait, Naru-chan –" she pleads, but the other girl hangs up before she can get any further. She shoots a frustrated look at Luna, shaking her head. "She didn't say. Dammit."

"Nephrite has definitely been in contact with her," Luna says. "We should alert the others to a possible attack tonight. What are – where are you going?" she asks, alarmed by Usagi's sudden movement. She tosses on the first clothes she finds without a care for how she looks, rushing around her room.

"I'm going to Naru. Obviously."

The cat stands indignantly at the bottom of her bed. "You're still weak from last night. You're in no condition to fight."

"I'll be fine," Usagi retorts dismissively. She's got a headache for sure, and her limbs still feel pretty weak, but physically there's nothing wrong with her. If she had to, she knows she could fight if it came to it. "We need to get to Naru-chan quickly. I know Nephrite is planning something for her."

"At least tell the other's where you're going," Luna orders her. She hops down from the bed to follow Usagi as she leaves the house. "And I'm coming with you, no matter what."

Usagi raises a brow, looking down at the cat trailing her. "Oh, finally going to grace us once more with your presence?" It's been a couple of weeks since Luna's bothered going with them to fight. Since Rei was recruited, she's been rather distanced from the physical side of things, holed up away wherever it is she does her "work."

"Yes," the cat says haughtily, raising her nose. "You girls might need the extra supervision. I'm starting to think I shouldn't have left you alone in the first place."

Usagi shrugs, not bothering to comment on that. Truthfully she feels a little relieved knowing they've got someone else watching out for them. Luna may not be able to fight much, but her presence is still reassuring. "C'mon, let's go," she says instead.

As they walk, the atmosphere is tense. When they receive a text from Ami, it gets even worse.

**Sailor Mercury 12:59  
Minor readings of dark energy. Heads up.**

Usagi shares a look with Luna and unspoken they agree to pick up the pace. It's harder than she expected. Ever since she'd become a Guardian Usagi has noticed how it usually takes her longer to tire out, but she must still be weakened from Nephrite's attacks because she soon finds herself struggling to match Luna's quick pace. Eventually, when she can't keep her breathing under control, she takes a break to catch her breath.

"Usagi!" Luna says, her tone worried.

"I'm fine," Usagi waves her off, breathing heavily. "You go on ahead and make sure Naru'chan's okay. I'll transform and catch up with you." 'Hopefully that might take some of the strain away,' she thinks desperately.

Luna almost looks like she wants to argue, but in the end she doesn't. Instead she gives a firm nod. "Fine, but you had better not take too long."

Usagi shoots her what she hopes is a reassuring smile. "Okay." The cat takes off, and for a moment Usagi watches her furry tail disappear down the street. Then she takes a deep breath and straightens up, preparing to transform. But when she opens her eyes, the road is twisting and turning, its color turning red, yellow, and then blue in a disturbing manner. She suffers a horrible moment of vertigo from the apparently shifting sidewalk, falling to her knees just to give herself some semblance of stability. "What the hell?" she calls out. 'Is this what Ami had meant by those readings?' she can't help but wonder. Whatever it is, her best bet is to transform. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"

The street stops turning as soon as the light fades and Usagi is easily able to stand without making herself dizzy. "Who's there?!" she demands imperiously.

A dark chuckle emanates from the street before her and she recognizes it instantly. "You've revealed yourself, Sailor Moon," Nephrite taunts her, a column of energy appearing further up the street. She can barely make out a figure inside, and when it clears Nephrite stands several dozen yards ahead. He's smirking like the cat who'd caught the canary. "Sailor Moon is actually Tsukino Usagi, 2nd year student at Juuban Middle School."

"Shit." 'Luna is going to kill me when she finds out Nephrite figured out my civilian identity,' Usagi internally panics. "How do you know my name?" she asks him, half out of curiosity. If he figured out hers, there might be a chance he knows Ami's and Rei's as well.

"Osaka Naru was very forthcoming with the information," he replies haughtily.

Her eyes narrow. Something about that statement rings off, but she doesn't have the time to ponder it when their biggest enemy stands before her and she has no backup.

"But that doesn't matter," Nephrite continues, "because you're going to die right here." He throws out his hand to unleash a torrent of dark energy at Usagi and she flings herself to the side without thinking, too concerned about dodging that _horrible_ attack to even try and soften her fall. She lands roughly on her knees and wrists, pain jolting up one of her arms as a result.

He raises his hands again and Usagi has a moment to think this is going to go just like it had last night, but before he can finish gathering the energy there's a flash of color before a red rose punctures through one of his hands. Nephrite shouts out in surprise and pain, and the both of them glance in the direction it'd come from to find a masked figure atop a street lamp.

"Tuxedo Mask," Usagi murmurs, a disbelieving laugh escaping her lips. She'd heard from Rei how he had come to their aid the night before after she passed out, and she can only be grateful this time he'd managed to arrive before it got that far again.

"Why don't you try picking on someone your own size?" Tuxedo Mask taunts Nephrite from above, though he doesn't maintain the position much longer, jumping to stand several feet in front of Usagi.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Nephrite calls back. "You don't have the Sailor Guardians at your back to throw cheap shots this time."

"I think I can handle you." And then he charges forward.

Usagi doesn't watch them for long. Tuxedo Mask seems able to handle Nephrite at the very least, so she doesn't feel too bad about abandoning him, and at the moment she's far more concerned about Naru anyways. Once they're preoccupied with each other she slips around them, running in the direction Luna had disappeared before and hoping to whatever that Nephrite doesn't try to follow. Things are already a mess as it is.

She catches up to her feline guardian just outside of Naru's family shop, and the cat has a troubled expression on her face that makes Usagi's heart sink. "What is it?"

"A monster kidnapped Osaka-san. I watched it carry her away," she explains.

Usagi's complexion rapidly pales. "And you didn't think to follow?" she snaps. Her first instinct is to try and find her friend, though she has no idea where to start.

"How?" Luna retorts back just as hotly. "There's no way I could've followed her over the rooftops. We should alert Sailor Mercury and see if she can track her. That'll be our best bet."

Her fists clench at her side and Usagi has to force herself to take a deep breath. She's not angry at Luna; she's right, she couldn't have done much. "Sorry," she forces herself to say. "Have you investigated her room, maybe Nephrite left a ransom note or something?"

Luna shakes her head, and Usagi takes that to mean they should do it themselves. Still, she shoots off a quick text to Ami about tracking Osaka or dark energy before moving around to the backside of the shops. She's never really been to Naru's house before, so she makes a guess as to which balcony is hers, starting with the one who's window is open. Carrying Luna with her good arm, it's not a hard jump.

She's cautious as she walks inside, but the room is utterly empty. She does, however, immediately spot the torn note on her disturbed bed. Most of it is in some jumbled form of writing she can't even begin to identify, save for a couple of kanji characters she can recognize. "Can you read the rest of this?" she asks, showing it to Luna anyways.

The cat shakes her head. "No, I would expect it's the language of those monsters. Some of it is Japanese, though."

"Yeah, I noticed that." She takes out her phone to snap a picture of the note and send that off to Ami as well. "Maybe she'll have some luck with it. Either way, I think we know where to start looking." The address is on the dingier side of town, outside of the bustling shopping district she usually frequents, but it is somewhere she recognizes.

"Are you sure about that, Usagi?" Luna asks, her cat features twisted in concern.

She gives a firm nod. "Yes. Let's go help Naru-chan."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The falling sign outside the abandoned club proclaims it "Rag Time." Usagi checks the location on the letter to her communicator's GPS and it appears to be the right location. 'Knowing Ami, she could probably tell Naru was in there from the way the dust was disturbed or something insane like that,' she thinks wryly. But neither Ami nor even Rei are there with her, just Luna.

"We need to be careful, Sailor Moon," Luna tells her, not that she wasn't aware of that. But the way the cat starts talking in her no-nonsense voice soothes something in Usagi's nerves. If Luna is confident, perhaps this won't go horribly wrong. "The monster who took Osaka-san isn't one I recognize, but that doesn't mean it isn't Nephrite's. If he's in there with it, it'll make things far more complicated."

"I'm not sure he is," Usagi interrupts. "He…attacked me on the road before I joined up with you." She decides not to mention right then that he also witnessed her transform. "I left him fighting with Tuxedo Mask."

Luna considers this. "I'd say then that it's highly unlikely he's there, but we should be alert in case he shows up. Regardless, our best chance is to prioritize rescuing Osaka-san. You're still weak from last night, so you should try not to fight too much."

"Somehow I doubt that'll be possible," Usagi mutters, a determined expression taking over her countenance. "But you're not wrong. We need to be in and out as quick as possible. Naru-san's probably tied up, so as soon as we find her you get her free and then I'll work on getting us all out. Without dying."

"Alright, Sailor Moon," Luna agrees dubiously. "On your lead."

Usagi enters the dilapidated building as quietly as she can manage, which is pretty impressive considering the size of the heels on her boots. The door opens straight into the bar on the first floor, though it's empty as far as she can see. Luna sneaks around the bar to the backroom just to confirm it is empty, though she reports the door to the storeroom underneath has been opened recently, which must be where the monster is keeping Naru.

"You sneak down somehow, and I'll try to keep their attention while you free Naru," Usagi whispers to the cat, receiving a nod in reply before the cat vanishes. Now she just has to confront the monster.

Monsters, Usagi amends, when calmly she walks down the stairs and sees not one but three demonic figures standing before a tied up Naru—but no Nephrite, thankfully. They seem surprised to see her, like they didn't leave her a ransom letter to come find Naru. "Who are you?" the blond-ish and purple one snaps.

"I am Sailor Moon, Guardian of Love and Justice," she says, though she keeps the spiel short. She tries to project more confidence than she feels, though with her wavering voice it might fall a little short. "Did you think you could kidnap Naru without any consequences? I won't allow it."

"She was supposed to be bait for Nephrite!" the blue one hisses to her sisters. "What do we do with this pest?"

"Get rid of her, obviously!" the last one snaps, flinging her hands towards Usagi. Dozens of tiny red spheres fly towards Usagi, who jumps the rail to avoid them.

She throws out her tiara towards the closest—the blue one—who is forced to dodge, though she quickly turns around to launch her own attack. Shockwaves fill the room that leave Usagi struggling to remain standing as her head is assaulted with pressure and pain. She completely misses the explosive balls released again and they explode around her, several blowing close enough to tear holes in her uniform. She drops to her knee in pain, thick rivulets of blood streaming down her leg.

'Damn, if only I had Ami's goggles to see where they are,' she curses, coughing and glancing around. The smoke is still covering a portion of the room, keeping her hidden from the monsters, but also hiding them from her.

"Do you think we got her?" one of them asks, and it's just the opportunity Usagi needs. She lunges through the smoke towards where she heard the voice, smirking darkly when the glowing tiara in her hand rips through the monster's chest. 'Who'd have thought it'd make a decent short-range weapon,' she thinks grimly as she side-steps the collapsing body.

"You bitch!" the purple one screams, throwing her wood arm forward. Usagi easily ducks the sharp projectile, though it leaves the other an opportunity to launch more of those explosives. She ducks and rolls back towards the staircase to avoid most of it—but not all, and now her shoulder is more than a little singed—coming up in a crouched defensive position as she studies the two remaining opponents. Their sister lies charred on the ground, unmoving. If she'd been alive after Usagi's attack she definitely wasn't anymore.

There's a temporary stalemate as they all assess one another, Naru fearfully watching their exchange. Then the girl's arms drop with the release of her restraints, the surprised noise she makes drawing the attention of the two monsters. "What—?!" one of them exclaims in surprise.

Usagi releases another Moon Tiara Action wildly in the hopes of catching them off guard, but she doesn't linger to see if she's hit anything vital. She makes a sprint for Naru, grabbing the girl around the waist with her good arm and leaping up to the small windows she can see closer to the ground floor. Dozens of tiny cuts litter her face and the arm she throws up to protect Naru, but she doesn't let it stop her. No doubt the monsters will be on her tail as soon as they recover themselves, and she wants to put as much distance as she can between them before that happens.

Naru remains uncomplaining as Usagi half-drags half-carries her deeper into the park across the road, which is surprisingly not as difficult as Usagi would've thought. Naru is almost the same size as her, after all, but her Guardian form is much stronger. When they reach a thick copse of trees Usagi finally lets the other girl down, relaxing against a thick trunk. Wounds sting all over her body, compounded by the headache that she isn't sure is because of her previous injuries or the blue one's attacks. Hopefully Ami and Rei join her quickly.

"Um, Sailor Moon…" Naru hesitantly begins, standing awkwardly beside Usagi. "Thank you for saving me. Again."

Usagi blinks up at her classmate. "No problem," she replies, too winded for a more eloquent response.

"Yes, thank you, Sailor Moon," another smug voice chimes in, immediately drawing both girls' attentions—though one of them is distinctly happier to see him than the other. "You saved me the trouble of confronting the Plant Sisters myself." Nephrite drops down from the sky to join them in the glade, a taunting smirk on his face as he regards Usagi.

She immediately stands and shifts so Naru is behind her, holding her hands up defensively. "Leave her alone," she snarls.

"Wait, Sailor Moon," Naru tries to protest, but Usagi shoves the girl back into the tree to quiet her.

"It's fine," Nephrite says, "I don't really need her anyways, I've already gotten what I came for, Tsukino Usagi."

Usagi hears Naru gasp behind her and grits her teeth but doesn't deign to address the girl. "Then let her go and we can settle this between us."

"How cute," a second voice chimes in—one that Usagi definitely doesn't recognize, though judging by the frown on Nephrite's face he definitely does. Out of the corner of her eye Usagi sees a swirl of pink flowers appear, heralding the appearance of another Commander, it looks like; one with wavy brown hair and green accents on his uniform. Beside him are the remaining two Plant Sisters, bleeding sluggishly from shallow wounds on their torsos—Usagi smirks when she notices them. "But I'm afraid I have more important business with Nephrite."

"Zoisite," Nephrite snarls.

"Kill him and bring me the Dark Crystal," Zoisite orders, ignoring Nephrite's words.

The two monsters attack Nephrite and for a second Usagi is stunned to stillness. It's almost refreshing not to be the one getting attacked. Still, she remains alert for the moment one of the monsters or even Zoisite turns on her. It's not until it starts to look like Nephrite might be losing the fight that Usagi even considers trying to run. She subtly takes steps backwards until she bumps into Naru, and then she whispers to the other girl, "Quickly, we need to get out of here."

"But he's going to die," she retorts, sounding pained. Just then the man in question lets out a pained shout and Naru nearly loses it, screaming, "Nephrite, no!" She darts out from behind Usagi quicker than the blonde can react, her outstretched arm grasping air instead of the back of her pajamas.

Usagi gets to watch, horrified, as Naru leaps in front of Nephrite just as the purple monster launches its branch arm at the prone man. Naru has no defense—the sharp roots easily punch through her stomach, drawing a pained gasp and a mouthful of blood from the teen. "No," Usagi mutters, her eyes wide with disbelief. 'How could she…protect _him_?'

.

_Nephrite_

For a second, the image of another girl is imposed over Osaka Naru's body. Tall, lithe, with flowing brown hair in a ponytail—the girl seems familiar, but he can't place her at all. Then Osaka's body falls to its knees, slumping forward, and the image is gone. 'Why?' he thinks incredulously. 'Why would she save me?'

He doesn't realize he's spoken aloud until Osaka slowly turns towards him, blood dripping from her mouth that's twisted up in a smile. "Because I love you, Nephrite," she whispers.

Out of his peripheral he sees Housenka launch another wave of explosives and he moves without thinking, cradling Osaka in his arms and shielding her with his own body. He grunts in pain as his back is burned raw, but at least the girl seems to be okay—as much as she can be, with roots impaling her stomach. As he looms above her on all fours, he finds he can't look away from her intense gaze. "I don't understand," he whispers.

"Love doesn't always make sense, but that doesn't make it any less real," she replies.

"How pathetic," Zoisite sneers, "protecting her in your final moments. Finally going soft, Nephrite?" His fellow Commander stands right above his body, and Nephrite knows he won't be getting out of this alive. A rough hand digs into his pocket, withdrawing the Dark Crystal. He's so weak at the moment he can't even complain. "Pity. Since you two seem to like each other so much, I suppose it's only fitting that you die together. Enjoy hell."

Something sharp pierces him through the back and Nephrite chokes on a mouthful of blood. He barely stays conscious long enough to lean to the side so he won't crush Osaka with his body before he succumbs to the injury.

.

_Tsukino Usagi_

Nephrite falls to the side, clearly dead, and everything in their little grove is still for several moments. Then a sound like a crack disturbs the peace and Usagi watches as Nephrite's body begins to break, crumbling into tiny particles of energy that leave a single stone in their place. A stone that vanishes almost a moment later.

Quiet sounds start to emanate from Naru as she begins crying, silent tears all she can manage in her state. Usagi doesn't know what to do. She might barely manage to take out the rest of the Plant Sisters if she gets creative enough, but there's no way she can take on another Commander on her own. Especially not if she wants to save Naru. The girl doesn't have much longer before she'll succumb to her injury. Already the grass around her is soaked with her blood.

Zoisite turns to Usagi, a derisive glint in his eye. "Get rid of her," he orders with a dismissive hand flick in her direction. Usagi raises an arm for her tiara as the purple one steps forward, a wicked gleam in her eye as she points her wooden arm at Usagi.

"Mars Fire Soul!" "Mercury Ice Lance!"

The flame engulfs the purple one, her pained screams echoing through the forest, while a shard of ice impales itself in the pink one. She dies almost instantly, and Usagi helps the last one along with another Moon Tiara Action just to be sure.

Zoisite takes a fearful step back when Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars land beside Usagi, fearsome expressions on their faces. "This isn't the last you'll see of me, you Sailor brats!" He jumps back before they can attack, vanishing in a cloud of pink petals.

Usagi doesn't spare him another thought in her haste to rush over to Naru. "Naru, can you hear me?!" she begs of the girl, kneeling by her head. She gets minimal reaction, though the girl does look at her. "Sailor Mercury, can you heal her? Please?"

Ami kneels at her side, critically looking over her wound. "Maybe. We need to pull out the roots as quickly as possible. I can't heal her with them still there."

Usagi shifts and gets to work with Rei, grabbing at the roots and pulling them as gently but quickly as she can manage. Ami follows behind, working intently where they've removed the roots. Naru makes some pained noises that make Usagi twinge in sympathy, but they have no time to be nice if they want to save her. When their job is done, all they can do is watch Ami work, blue energy at her hands as she heals the gaping hole in Naru's chest.

Tense minutes go by, but when the light finally fades from Ami's hands all that's left of Naru's injury is a patch of discolored skin on her stomach. The girl herself is resting seemingly peacefully. Ami sits back with a heavy sigh, looking exhausted. "She'll be okay, if a bit traumatized by tonight," the genius confirms.

Usagi looks worriedly down at her classmate and friend—because she's decided for sure that this girl is her friend, no matter what she says. "Oh no, she knows who I am," she blurts, recalling earlier. "Nephrite figured it out and told her."

Ami gives her a dull look. "You're really not good at keeping this a secret, are you? That's three people who figured out your identity now; you're lucky 2 of them are dead. At least only one of them figured out ours," she grumbles half-heartedly, without any heat behind her words—a testament to how exhausted she must be, if she can barely manage a snarky attitude.

"I…" Rei haltingly begins. "I might be able to help? I have some psychic power, but I've never tried anything like this before."

"What, like blocking her memories?" Usagi asks, sounding incredulous and hopeful.

She nods and shifts towards Naru's head, kneeling behind the girl. She places her hands at her temples and closes her eyes as she concentrates. Usagi has questions, but she doesn't want to interrupt and accidentally ruin her progress. Several minutes go by, far longer than it had taken Ami to heal Naru, and they wait with hopeful anticipation.

Finally Rei lets up, sitting back on her heels. "I think it's done. I placed a barrier around her memories of tonight; she won't remember a thing from the time Nephrite called her until she wakes up tomorrow, including your identity." Then her expression falls into worry. "I just don't know how long the block will last; I've never done this before, so it might not be very good. Strong emotions might leak, especially if she encounters something to trigger them. We'll have to watch her just to be sure."

Usagi nods energetically. "Easy, I can do that. Thank you for helping her," she tells her friend, glancing at Ami as well. "Both of you, thanks. This means a lot to me."

Ami glances off to the side, unable to meet Usagi's eyes as she grumbles, "Don't thank me. I said I wouldn't die for her, not that I wouldn't try to help her." Usagi can see the slight redness on her ears and smiles, knowing the genius is embarrassed at seeming so soft. She doesn't call her on it though.

"We should get her back to her house," she says instead. "I know her mom is worried about her, and I promised I'd find her and bring her back." She makes to stand, though a sudden pain in her leg almost lands her back on the ground. Her comrades look at her in alarm.

"Sailor Moon!" Rei shouts, surprised.

Usagi waves her off when she tries to help her stand. "Grab Naru. I don't think me or Sailor Mercury can handle her in our conditions." Rei nods, and Ami instead moves to help Usagi up.

"I can't heal you right now, not after healing Osaka, but I can bandage you up when we get back to the shrine and take a crack at it tomorrow morning after I've rested," the genius informs her, an arm around Usagi's waist to help keep her up. They're both leaning a bit on each other, but it should be enough to get them back to Rei's shrine.

"That's fine," she agrees. "Let's go."

* * *

I may end up rewriting this story. I know I've been messing up Mamoru's characterization, and I think giving Usagi a backstory as the daughter of a mob boss or something might make for a more interesting (but not too different) personality change. (And lowkey I've kinda already started on it).

Also, I started writing a prequel set in the Silver Millennium era. Would people be interested in that? It's not exactly going to follow what we know of the Silver Millennium in the manga, but I wanted to get the chance to write their history myself for this story. It only has a chapter (almost 2) out of 4, but I won't be actively working on that one as much.

_Also_, I started writing another prequel set in the Sailor V story. Would people be interested in _that_? It follows the same premise as this story, where Minako has a different personality. I don't like the way Minako's backstory differs between the anime and Codename Sailor V, so this is my version of her backstory that would actually be relevant to this story, sort of. I've only written one chapter, though, and I'm not really working on it so it'd take a while to finish.


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